U. S. District Court Judge Dean Whipple refused to take action to prevent Medicaid cuts from taking place, according to Associated Press.
Whipple, of course, is the same judge who has recently allowed two people charged with sex crimes in connection with Internet stings free, saying that they did not try to have sex with actual underaged girls, but only police officers pretending to be underaged girls in chatrooms.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Meerwald won't be at October hearing
Edward Meerwald, the drunk driver who was sentenced to 14 years in prison in connection with the July 2004 accident that took the lives of James Dodson, 68, Neosho, and his eight-year-old granddaughter Jessica Mann of Joplin, will not attend the Oct. 4 pre-trial hearing in his attempt to have his conviction overturned.
McDonald County Circuit Court records indicate it is not considered necessary for Meerwald to be at the hearing since no evidence will be offered. He will be represented by Anne Wells, who was appointed to serve as his lawyer.
McDonald County Circuit Court records indicate it is not considered necessary for Meerwald to be at the hearing since no evidence will be offered. He will be represented by Anne Wells, who was appointed to serve as his lawyer.
Hearing set in child-killing case
The next hearing in the involuntary manslaughter case against Brandon Wayne Kahl, 25, Lamar, is set for 1 p.m. Sept. 19, in Barton County Circuit Court.
Kahl was charged in connection with the June 7 death of two-year-old Alexander Cole. Kahl is free on $15,000 bond.
Kahl was charged in connection with the June 7 death of two-year-old Alexander Cole. Kahl is free on $15,000 bond.
March 2006 trial set for former Joplin Boys and Girls Club director
A March 8, 2006, trial date has been scheduled for former Joplin Boys and Girls Club Director Rob Clay, who is charged with embezzling at least $50,000 and possibly as much as $200,000 from that organization. He was the director for 15 years.
At Clay's preliminary hearing, a Joplin police detective testified that Clay had written checks totaling $41,080 on the club's account to his own bank accounts and wrote an additional $9,000 worth of checks for cash.
At Clay's preliminary hearing, a Joplin police detective testified that Clay had written checks totaling $41,080 on the club's account to his own bank accounts and wrote an additional $9,000 worth of checks for cash.
Hearing for murder victim's widow delayed
A hearing in the marijuana possession case against Rebecca Kullie, 40, Lamar, originally scheduled for today has been rescheduled for Sept. 14, according to Barton County Circuit Court records.
Mrs. Kullie, is the widow of Jim John Kullie, who was allegedly beaten to death with a tire iron by Mrs. Kullie's brother, Jim Edward Ryan. Ryan, 42, Lamar, faces murder charges in Cedar County Circuit Court, where the trial will be held on a change of venue from Barton County.
Mrs. Kullie, is the widow of Jim John Kullie, who was allegedly beaten to death with a tire iron by Mrs. Kullie's brother, Jim Edward Ryan. Ryan, 42, Lamar, faces murder charges in Cedar County Circuit Court, where the trial will be held on a change of venue from Barton County.
Hearing set in rape case against former Carthage R-9 Board member
A Sept. 9 hearing has been scheduled in Jasper County Circuit Court for former Carthage R-9 Board of Education member and Carthage police officer Michael Lloyd Wells, who is charged with forcible rape, sexual assault and two counts of incest.
The case has been languishing since it was refiled in October 2004. Wells is charged with forcible rape and incest in connection with an incident that occurred on Sept. 1, 1994, and sexual assault and incest in connection with an incident that occurred on April 1, 2001.
No court date has been set for another charge against Wells, who is accused of violating a protection order on March 31 of this year.
The case has been languishing since it was refiled in October 2004. Wells is charged with forcible rape and incest in connection with an incident that occurred on Sept. 1, 1994, and sexual assault and incest in connection with an incident that occurred on April 1, 2001.
No court date has been set for another charge against Wells, who is accused of violating a protection order on March 31 of this year.
Lawsuit against Freeman,disgraced doctor settled
Another malpractice lawsuit against Freeman Neosho Hospital in connection with its association with disgraced doctor Jeffrey Wool has been settled, according to Newton County Circuit Court records.
The Turner Report noted on July 6 that it appeared that the claim filed by Billie
Aschentrop, 61, Neosho, had been settled. The defendants in that case, in addition to Wool and Freeman Neosho, were Freeman Health Systems, Neidra DePuy, and Margaret Bond. Court records at that time indicated the case had a "satisfaction of claims" and "satisfaction of costs by plaintiff." The case had been scheduled to go to trial Aug. 14 and 15. The official dismissal with prejudice was filed Aug. 25.
Wool pleaded guilty last year in Newton County Circuit Court to a Class D felony of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance. He received a suspended sentence and four years of supervised probation.
During the past two years, the Wool situation has been a nightmare for Freeman, which has faced at least eight malpractice lawsuits against the doctor, with some who filed lawsuits claiming that he practiced medicine on them while he was addicted to painkillers.
One of those cases went to trial with the plaintiffs Jessee Eastburn, Tim Zengel, and David Zengel awarded $300,000 plus $1,457.80 in court costs on April 9, 2004.
Undisclosed settlements were reached in two other cases.
The Turner Report noted on July 6 that it appeared that the claim filed by Billie
Aschentrop, 61, Neosho, had been settled. The defendants in that case, in addition to Wool and Freeman Neosho, were Freeman Health Systems, Neidra DePuy, and Margaret Bond. Court records at that time indicated the case had a "satisfaction of claims" and "satisfaction of costs by plaintiff." The case had been scheduled to go to trial Aug. 14 and 15. The official dismissal with prejudice was filed Aug. 25.
Wool pleaded guilty last year in Newton County Circuit Court to a Class D felony of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance. He received a suspended sentence and four years of supervised probation.
During the past two years, the Wool situation has been a nightmare for Freeman, which has faced at least eight malpractice lawsuits against the doctor, with some who filed lawsuits claiming that he practiced medicine on them while he was addicted to painkillers.
One of those cases went to trial with the plaintiffs Jessee Eastburn, Tim Zengel, and David Zengel awarded $300,000 plus $1,457.80 in court costs on April 9, 2004.
Undisclosed settlements were reached in two other cases.
Edison, Diamond schools reach settlement
The waste of time lawsuit filed by the Diamond R-4 School District against Edison Schools has been settled. Both sides filed a joint motion today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.
Even though The Joplin Globe has yet to write a story on the lawsuit, I would hope the Globe would think enough of Diamond R-4 taxpayers that it would look into the terms of the settlement, plus how money the district spent, especially how much it is paying its lawyers.
As I have pointed out numerous times, even though I am not a big fan of Edison Schools and the whole running schools as businesses (considering the way some American businesses operate, Edison would eventually have to outsource its students to China), Edison has made a considerable profit for every school with which it has operated summer schools, including Diamond. Only Diamond claims to have been cheated, despite its sizable profit. This could be another one of those lawsuits that was settled just to avoid the cost of defending against a frivolous claim.
Even though The Joplin Globe has yet to write a story on the lawsuit, I would hope the Globe would think enough of Diamond R-4 taxpayers that it would look into the terms of the settlement, plus how money the district spent, especially how much it is paying its lawyers.
As I have pointed out numerous times, even though I am not a big fan of Edison Schools and the whole running schools as businesses (considering the way some American businesses operate, Edison would eventually have to outsource its students to China), Edison has made a considerable profit for every school with which it has operated summer schools, including Diamond. Only Diamond claims to have been cheated, despite its sizable profit. This could be another one of those lawsuits that was settled just to avoid the cost of defending against a frivolous claim.
Nexstar, Mission drowning in red ink
Nexstar Broadcasting, owner of KSNF in Joplin and KSFX in Springfield, and Mission Broadcasting, owner of KODE in Joplin and KOLR in Springfield, had a combined debt of $422 million as of March 31, according to a prospectus filed June 28 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In an area of the report reserved for possible risks the companies faces, Nexstar officials said, "We and Mission have a history of net losses and a substantial accumulated deficit.
We had consolidated net losses of $20.5 million, $71.8 million and $99.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002. In addition, as of March 31, 2005, we and Mission had a combined accumulated deficit of $422.8 million. We and Mission may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability."
In an area of the report reserved for possible risks the companies faces, Nexstar officials said, "We and Mission have a history of net losses and a substantial accumulated deficit.
We had consolidated net losses of $20.5 million, $71.8 million and $99.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002. In addition, as of March 31, 2005, we and Mission had a combined accumulated deficit of $422.8 million. We and Mission may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability."
Congressman: Katrina will be top legislative priority
Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt today issued a news release saying that aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina will be the top priority for the House of Representatives. You can read his remarks at:
http://www.blunt.house.gov/default.asp
http://www.blunt.house.gov/default.asp
Agencies to receive bulletproof vests
The Newton County Sheriff's Department, and police departments in Joplin, Neosho, Monett, Sarcoxie, Webb City, and Lamar, will have half of the costs of new bulletproof vests provided by the U. S. Department of Justice, under the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, according to a news release issued today by Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt.
The dollar amounts and the vests they will pay for are listed below:
Newton County Sheriff's Department, 25 vests, $7,475.25; Monett 11 vests, $2,745; Neosho, six vests, $900; Sarcoxie, 3 vests, $900; Webb City, 10 vests, $2,800; Lamar, four vests, $1,250.
The dollar amounts and the vests they will pay for are listed below:
Newton County Sheriff's Department, 25 vests, $7,475.25; Monett 11 vests, $2,745; Neosho, six vests, $900; Sarcoxie, 3 vests, $900; Webb City, 10 vests, $2,800; Lamar, four vests, $1,250.
Nixon to investigate gasoline price gouging
When I left Joplin to attend a Natural Disaster practice Tuesday afternoon, the price of gas was $2.49 a gallon. By the time I returned, it had increased by more than 30 cents and this afternoon it was $2.99. That still pales in comparison to the $6 plus being charged in the south, according to news reports.
Attorney General Jay Nixon will investigate whether we are seeing an epidemic of price gouging. Governor Matt Blunt issued a news release today saying he had "directed" Nixon to conduct the investigation. While it is good to see Blunt taking strong, decisive action to benefit the taxpayer instead of big business, it is safe to assume that Nixon would have conducted the investigation anyway, even if he had not been directed to do so.
Attorney General Jay Nixon will investigate whether we are seeing an epidemic of price gouging. Governor Matt Blunt issued a news release today saying he had "directed" Nixon to conduct the investigation. While it is good to see Blunt taking strong, decisive action to benefit the taxpayer instead of big business, it is safe to assume that Nixon would have conducted the investigation anyway, even if he had not been directed to do so.
Missouri school districts told to prepare for Katrina refugees
Missouri public school administrators were told today to prepare to enroll children who are displaced refugees from Hurricane Katrina.
In a memo to administrators, D. Kent King, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioner said, "The number of such children seeking to enroll in Missouri schools undoubtedly will grow in the coming days and weeks."
King said the children qualify as homeless children and should be enrolled promptly. They will automatically qualify for free or reduced price lunches and are eligible for Title I services. The students will not be required to have all of their immunizations before being enrolled, King said.
In a memo to administrators, D. Kent King, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioner said, "The number of such children seeking to enroll in Missouri schools undoubtedly will grow in the coming days and weeks."
King said the children qualify as homeless children and should be enrolled promptly. They will automatically qualify for free or reduced price lunches and are eligible for Title I services. The students will not be required to have all of their immunizations before being enrolled, King said.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Lindsey finalist for Nebraska job
Joplin Police Chief Kevin Lindsey is one of three finalists for the Grand Island, Neb., police chief position, according to today's issue of the Grand Island Independent.
If Lindsey is chosen, he will immediately have to soothe some hurt feelings in the department. The requirements for chief established by the city officials appear designed to keep veteran Grand Island police officers from being eligible to apply.
The other applicants, according to the article, are Steven Lamken, 56, director of the Grand Island Law Enforcement Training Center, and Michael Smitley, a writer, who is seeking to return to law enforcement where he had a 30-year career. Lamken might have the upper hand since he was police chief in Kearney, Neb., from 1987 to 1996, where his boss was Gary Greer, currently Grand Island's city administrator.
It is not surprising that Lindsey is looking at other opportunities, considering the onslaught of negative publicity the Joplin Police Department has received during the past few months.
Lindsey, 48, had a reputation for openness and honesty in dealing with the public at his previous position, has been hamstrung in Joplin by the policies of city leaders, including City Manager Mark Rohr, who have not allowed him to reveal the discipline administered to two officers involved in the handcuffing and browbeating of an 11-year-old at a Joplin elementary school.
Lindsey successfully used a different approach during his days as police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, as revealed in the May 21 Turner Report. In Madison, two police officers tried to cover up an incident in which one of them kicked a handcuffed man. One officer received a six-day suspension for kicking the man and not reporting what he had done. The other officer received a one-day suspension for dishonesty and for not reporting a minor injury he had received during the struggle. The man who was kicked did not need medical attention, according to the newspaper that carried the story, the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison. The date on that article is March 22, 2001.
All information came from Lindsey, who showed no hesitation in sharing the information about the discipline he meted out to the officers with the media and the public. He found out that's not the way things are done in Joplin.
If Lindsey is chosen, he will immediately have to soothe some hurt feelings in the department. The requirements for chief established by the city officials appear designed to keep veteran Grand Island police officers from being eligible to apply.
The other applicants, according to the article, are Steven Lamken, 56, director of the Grand Island Law Enforcement Training Center, and Michael Smitley, a writer, who is seeking to return to law enforcement where he had a 30-year career. Lamken might have the upper hand since he was police chief in Kearney, Neb., from 1987 to 1996, where his boss was Gary Greer, currently Grand Island's city administrator.
It is not surprising that Lindsey is looking at other opportunities, considering the onslaught of negative publicity the Joplin Police Department has received during the past few months.
Lindsey, 48, had a reputation for openness and honesty in dealing with the public at his previous position, has been hamstrung in Joplin by the policies of city leaders, including City Manager Mark Rohr, who have not allowed him to reveal the discipline administered to two officers involved in the handcuffing and browbeating of an 11-year-old at a Joplin elementary school.
Lindsey successfully used a different approach during his days as police chief in Madison, Wisconsin, as revealed in the May 21 Turner Report. In Madison, two police officers tried to cover up an incident in which one of them kicked a handcuffed man. One officer received a six-day suspension for kicking the man and not reporting what he had done. The other officer received a one-day suspension for dishonesty and for not reporting a minor injury he had received during the struggle. The man who was kicked did not need medical attention, according to the newspaper that carried the story, the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison. The date on that article is March 22, 2001.
All information came from Lindsey, who showed no hesitation in sharing the information about the discipline he meted out to the officers with the media and the public. He found out that's not the way things are done in Joplin.
Appellate panel rules for Nexstar
A panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeal today upheld a lower court ruling favoring Nexstar Broadcasting in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee.
Lesa Davis, a former production coordinator at KARK in Little Rock, claimed that racial discrimination led to her being fired from her job as a production coordinator. Ms. Davis created graphics and backgrounds for news, weather, and sports, according to her lawsuit. She had worked on KARK's morning program since the 1980s and had been with the station since 1977.
In August 2003, she was assigned to the nightshift, which interfered with her other job with UPS, which she had held for more than 25 years. She had to take a layoff from the company. Ms. Davis claims that white employees who had been with KARK for far less time than she, were allowed to choose reassignment on a seniority basis.
The U. S. District Court in Arkansas found in favor of Nexstar and dismissed the case on Sept. 30, 2004. Ms. Davis filed her appeal on Oct. 21. The appeal claims the U. S. District Court judge committed reversible error by "ignoring overwhelming disputes of material fact" that pointed toward intentional discrimination, by determining that her reassignment to the night shift was not discrimination, and by claiming there was "no genuine issue" for the racial discrimination claim.
The Eighth District appellate panel disagreed with that reasoning. "Nexstar did not create an intolerable work environment," the opinion said. "There is no indication Nexstar acted with the intention of forcing Davis to resign or that she intended to do so as a result of Nexstar's actions."
The opinion put a large portion of the blame for Ms. Davis' problems on Ms. Davis. "Davis quit work rather than work with KARK-TV to find a solution that resolved her concerns," the opinion said.
Nexstar Broadcasting owns KSNF in Joplin and KSFX in Springfield and is de facto owner of KODE in Joplin and KOLR in Springfield.
Lesa Davis, a former production coordinator at KARK in Little Rock, claimed that racial discrimination led to her being fired from her job as a production coordinator. Ms. Davis created graphics and backgrounds for news, weather, and sports, according to her lawsuit. She had worked on KARK's morning program since the 1980s and had been with the station since 1977.
In August 2003, she was assigned to the nightshift, which interfered with her other job with UPS, which she had held for more than 25 years. She had to take a layoff from the company. Ms. Davis claims that white employees who had been with KARK for far less time than she, were allowed to choose reassignment on a seniority basis.
The U. S. District Court in Arkansas found in favor of Nexstar and dismissed the case on Sept. 30, 2004. Ms. Davis filed her appeal on Oct. 21. The appeal claims the U. S. District Court judge committed reversible error by "ignoring overwhelming disputes of material fact" that pointed toward intentional discrimination, by determining that her reassignment to the night shift was not discrimination, and by claiming there was "no genuine issue" for the racial discrimination claim.
The Eighth District appellate panel disagreed with that reasoning. "Nexstar did not create an intolerable work environment," the opinion said. "There is no indication Nexstar acted with the intention of forcing Davis to resign or that she intended to do so as a result of Nexstar's actions."
The opinion put a large portion of the blame for Ms. Davis' problems on Ms. Davis. "Davis quit work rather than work with KARK-TV to find a solution that resolved her concerns," the opinion said.
Nexstar Broadcasting owns KSNF in Joplin and KSFX in Springfield and is de facto owner of KODE in Joplin and KOLR in Springfield.
Zobel sues Greene County sheriff
One of the problems with the American judicial system which should be addressed at the federal and state levels is the deluge of frivolous lawsuits that have made the legal system a nightmare.
One such case was filed in Greene County Circuit Court Friday when William Zobel, Republic, filed a lawsuit seeking a restraining order to keep his confiscated horses from being sold. Zobel is currently awaiting trial on 38 counts of animal abuse for his treatment of those horses. While awaiting the final outcome of the legal proceedings, the Carthage Humane Society has had to foot the bill for the care and feeding of 28 of those animals.
Meanwhile we continue to have one frivolous lawsuit after another filed by people such as Martin Lindstedt, who continues to fight these lawsuits even while awaiting trial in Newton County Circuit Court on felony statutory sodomy charges.
Taxpayers have to foot the bill for the time spent dealing with Lindstedt's lawsuits, as well as for the defense of the people who are targets or who have been targets of his legal actions, such as Governor Matt Blunt, Jasper County officials, city of Granby officials, and Missouri Southern State University officials.
I speak from experience about the damaging effects of these frivolous lawsuits. When Terry Reed sued me for $750 million in 1998 it was obvious right from the beginning that the suit had no merit. He was also suing the Kansas City Star, KMBZ Radio in Kansas City, Jasper County commissioners, Jasper County Sheriff Bill Pierce, State Representative Mark Elliott and others, all for similarly outrageous amounts.
The Carthage Press, the newspaper I worked for at the time, was also a defendant in the case and had to spend $10,000 of its money before the deductible on the libel insurance kicked in.
Reed's cause against me was thrown out by the judge, who pointed out that the column I wrote about Reed's ill-fated far right-wing American Heritage Festival, in which I said, "They were here on Friday, they were here on Saturday and those nuts were sprinkled on our Sunday, as well," was constitutionally-protected opinion. Reed had only entered that line and a couple of others, including my opening sentence that a "blanket of white descended on Carthage over the weekend," in his lawsuit and left out the portions of the column which specifically noted that I was referring to some of those who attended the event and not to Reed.
Still, I had the threat of that lawsuit hanging over my head for about 10 months before it was thrown out, something that should have taken place right at the beginning. The Press was out $10,000 and I am sure its libel insurance premiums went up after that since that is the way the insurance business operates.
We have a large number of lawsuits filed because lawyers know that no matter how weak their case is, they have an excellent chance to get a settlement simply because it costs so much to pay for the legal help to go to trial.
The actions taken by the Missouri General Assembly this year had some merit, but they were the wrong actions. Putting a cap on jury awards is not the solution and only serves to hurt people who have legitimate lawsuits.
The best option, though it has some flaws, is the English system. If you lose, you pay the costs for the other side. It is hard to believe Terry Reed would have filed his lawsuit if he knew he would have to pay for the costs if he lost or if the judge threw the case out of court. It might also prevent people like William Zobel from wasting the taxpayers' money.
One such case was filed in Greene County Circuit Court Friday when William Zobel, Republic, filed a lawsuit seeking a restraining order to keep his confiscated horses from being sold. Zobel is currently awaiting trial on 38 counts of animal abuse for his treatment of those horses. While awaiting the final outcome of the legal proceedings, the Carthage Humane Society has had to foot the bill for the care and feeding of 28 of those animals.
Meanwhile we continue to have one frivolous lawsuit after another filed by people such as Martin Lindstedt, who continues to fight these lawsuits even while awaiting trial in Newton County Circuit Court on felony statutory sodomy charges.
Taxpayers have to foot the bill for the time spent dealing with Lindstedt's lawsuits, as well as for the defense of the people who are targets or who have been targets of his legal actions, such as Governor Matt Blunt, Jasper County officials, city of Granby officials, and Missouri Southern State University officials.
I speak from experience about the damaging effects of these frivolous lawsuits. When Terry Reed sued me for $750 million in 1998 it was obvious right from the beginning that the suit had no merit. He was also suing the Kansas City Star, KMBZ Radio in Kansas City, Jasper County commissioners, Jasper County Sheriff Bill Pierce, State Representative Mark Elliott and others, all for similarly outrageous amounts.
The Carthage Press, the newspaper I worked for at the time, was also a defendant in the case and had to spend $10,000 of its money before the deductible on the libel insurance kicked in.
Reed's cause against me was thrown out by the judge, who pointed out that the column I wrote about Reed's ill-fated far right-wing American Heritage Festival, in which I said, "They were here on Friday, they were here on Saturday and those nuts were sprinkled on our Sunday, as well," was constitutionally-protected opinion. Reed had only entered that line and a couple of others, including my opening sentence that a "blanket of white descended on Carthage over the weekend," in his lawsuit and left out the portions of the column which specifically noted that I was referring to some of those who attended the event and not to Reed.
Still, I had the threat of that lawsuit hanging over my head for about 10 months before it was thrown out, something that should have taken place right at the beginning. The Press was out $10,000 and I am sure its libel insurance premiums went up after that since that is the way the insurance business operates.
We have a large number of lawsuits filed because lawyers know that no matter how weak their case is, they have an excellent chance to get a settlement simply because it costs so much to pay for the legal help to go to trial.
The actions taken by the Missouri General Assembly this year had some merit, but they were the wrong actions. Putting a cap on jury awards is not the solution and only serves to hurt people who have legitimate lawsuits.
The best option, though it has some flaws, is the English system. If you lose, you pay the costs for the other side. It is hard to believe Terry Reed would have filed his lawsuit if he knew he would have to pay for the costs if he lost or if the judge threw the case out of court. It might also prevent people like William Zobel from wasting the taxpayers' money.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Cable One chief: 'They need us more than we need them'
Cable World reports that Cable One Chief Tom Might said the company lost subscribers when Nexstar Broadcasting pulled KSNF and KODE off the cable at the beginning of 2005, but he says Nexstar has been hurt far worse.
"Broadcasters need us more than we need them," he said at the recent National Cable Television Cooperative meeting in San Diego.
"Broadcasters need us more than we need them," he said at the recent National Cable Television Cooperative meeting in San Diego.
Wyrick targeted in personal injury lawsuit
Travis Wyrick, the Joplin teenager who was charged earlier this year with felony leaving the scene of an accident in connection with theJanuary hit-and-run death of Joplin High School senior Jamison Alexander, appears to have had previous problems while driving.
Denise Brooks, Joplin, filed a vehicular personal injury lawsuit against Wyrick Friday in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Wyrick's trial on the felony charge is scheduled for Sept. 19.
Denise Brooks, Joplin, filed a vehicular personal injury lawsuit against Wyrick Friday in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Wyrick's trial on the felony charge is scheduled for Sept. 19.
The widow of a Missouri Department of Transportation worker who was killed during a November 2004 crash while working on I-44, is suing the passenger in the van that hit him, as well as the estate of the driver who also died during the accident.
The lawsuit was one of many filed Friday in Jasper County Circuit Court during a last minute flurry to beat the Aug. 28 deadline. On that day, the "reforms" passed by the Missouri General Assembly went into effect, making it far more difficult to file lawsuits or to win huge monetary awards.
Filing is the suit is Patricia Vanatta, widow of MoDOT worker Bert L. Vanatta, who was only 44 when he was killed. The defendants are the driver, the late Anna A. Lukosius, 78, Camdenton, and her passenger, Michael B. Cravatta, 80, also of Camdenton.
The accident took place four miles east of Sarcoxie in broad daylight.
The lawsuit was one of many filed Friday in Jasper County Circuit Court during a last minute flurry to beat the Aug. 28 deadline. On that day, the "reforms" passed by the Missouri General Assembly went into effect, making it far more difficult to file lawsuits or to win huge monetary awards.
Filing is the suit is Patricia Vanatta, widow of MoDOT worker Bert L. Vanatta, who was only 44 when he was killed. The defendants are the driver, the late Anna A. Lukosius, 78, Camdenton, and her passenger, Michael B. Cravatta, 80, also of Camdenton.
The accident took place four miles east of Sarcoxie in broad daylight.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Public benefits from Elliott's legislation
Though there were times when I skewered him in print, I always had an appreciation for Mark Elliott, R-Carl Junction, during his days as a Missouri state representative.
Shortly after he left the office, he was kind enough to drop by my trailer classroom at Diamond Middle School and give a lesson on how the House operates, which if I recall, centered around a fictitious bill which would make vanilla ice cream the state ice cream for Missouri. By the time he left, the sixth graders to whom he spoke had a much better idea of how state government operates.
Mark was always good for a quote and never sidestepped a question, something which you can't say about very many politicians, Democrat or Republican. When I asked him a question, he gave me a straight answer.
And for those who recall that I ripped into him in the pages of The Carthage Press for accepting so many campaign contributions from lobbyists and their spouses, that is absolutely true, but one person who never complained about that coverage was Mark Elliott.
Saturday's Joplin Globe did not have any mention of Mark, but it was his legislation that enabled Globe reporter John Hacker to reveal how much ($7,400) Southwest City paid out to its former Police Chief Ron Beaudry to settle his wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the city.
Elliott pushed for that revision of the Missouri Sunshine Law after the Diamond R-4 Board of Education fought to keep from revealing to the public just how much it had to fork over to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against a school superintendent and the district by a former secretary.
Elliott felt that taxpayers had the right to know how their money was being spent and thanks to him, Southwest City taxpayers are not in the dark about the actions that were taken by the people who they elected to represent them.
Shortly after he left the office, he was kind enough to drop by my trailer classroom at Diamond Middle School and give a lesson on how the House operates, which if I recall, centered around a fictitious bill which would make vanilla ice cream the state ice cream for Missouri. By the time he left, the sixth graders to whom he spoke had a much better idea of how state government operates.
Mark was always good for a quote and never sidestepped a question, something which you can't say about very many politicians, Democrat or Republican. When I asked him a question, he gave me a straight answer.
And for those who recall that I ripped into him in the pages of The Carthage Press for accepting so many campaign contributions from lobbyists and their spouses, that is absolutely true, but one person who never complained about that coverage was Mark Elliott.
Saturday's Joplin Globe did not have any mention of Mark, but it was his legislation that enabled Globe reporter John Hacker to reveal how much ($7,400) Southwest City paid out to its former Police Chief Ron Beaudry to settle his wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the city.
Elliott pushed for that revision of the Missouri Sunshine Law after the Diamond R-4 Board of Education fought to keep from revealing to the public just how much it had to fork over to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against a school superintendent and the district by a former secretary.
Elliott felt that taxpayers had the right to know how their money was being spent and thanks to him, Southwest City taxpayers are not in the dark about the actions that were taken by the people who they elected to represent them.
MAP scores enlightening
I really haven't looked too closely at the listings of MAP scores in today's Joplin Globe except, of course, for seventh grade communication arts since I teach eighth grade at South Middle School in Joplin.
Joplin had more seventh grade students in the advanced and proficient areas than any other school in the area except for Mount Vernon, and South's scores (they weren't broken down in the newspaper) were higher than those for Memorial and North middle schools.
First, I hate to admit it, but I had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with those scores. I just have to make sure I keep those students headed down the right path now that they are in eighth grade.
The people who are primarily responsible are South's seventh grade reading teacher Linda Weaver, who is also head of the school's reading department, and our communication arts teacher Angel Mense, as well as a strong crew of special education instructors.
They were the ones in the trenches and their hard work paid off. Every sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student at South (and the other Joplin middle schools) has one hour of reading and one hour of communication arts (writing, grammar, etc.) every day. Mrs. Weaver and the reading teachers also work on numerous promotions throughout the year to keep reading at the forefront.
All teachers, though, play a part. Each Friday, the first 20 minutes of school, the homeroom or TA period, is spent in silent reading. Students are required to keep a library book with them at all times, in case they finish work on a class assignment and have time. It wouldn't be the truth to say that all of those students spend every spare minute reading, but you would be surprised at how many of them actually do that.
In an environment where so many students do not have access to books or newspapers at home, Linda Weaver and the rest of the reading department teachers, indeed all teachers and administrators at South, have done a great job in encouraging these young people to read.
***
Sadly, the lowest scores I noticed in seventh grade communication arts belonged to my former place of employment, the Diamond R-4 School District. It would be self-serving for me to say that the seventh graders who took the test were the first ones who did not have teaching them either writing or reading, but that is a part of the truth.
However, it is not I who made the difference, but the fact that during the first three years I was at Diamond, the district had a sixth, seventh, and eighth grade writing teacher. During my fourth and final year at Diamond, I had every student in the middle school for at least one quarter. I taught writing classes for all three grades, and reading classes for seventh and eighth graders. When Superintendent Mark Mayo decided he wanted me gone, he eliminated the writing and reading classes for seventh and eighth graders, then had the nerve to say that I was put on an unpaid leave of absence because I was the teacher whose loss would least affect the students.
Diamond students survived quite nicely without me, but not without the writing and reading classes. The dramatic drop in the MAP scores proves that.
Joplin had more seventh grade students in the advanced and proficient areas than any other school in the area except for Mount Vernon, and South's scores (they weren't broken down in the newspaper) were higher than those for Memorial and North middle schools.
First, I hate to admit it, but I had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with those scores. I just have to make sure I keep those students headed down the right path now that they are in eighth grade.
The people who are primarily responsible are South's seventh grade reading teacher Linda Weaver, who is also head of the school's reading department, and our communication arts teacher Angel Mense, as well as a strong crew of special education instructors.
They were the ones in the trenches and their hard work paid off. Every sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student at South (and the other Joplin middle schools) has one hour of reading and one hour of communication arts (writing, grammar, etc.) every day. Mrs. Weaver and the reading teachers also work on numerous promotions throughout the year to keep reading at the forefront.
All teachers, though, play a part. Each Friday, the first 20 minutes of school, the homeroom or TA period, is spent in silent reading. Students are required to keep a library book with them at all times, in case they finish work on a class assignment and have time. It wouldn't be the truth to say that all of those students spend every spare minute reading, but you would be surprised at how many of them actually do that.
In an environment where so many students do not have access to books or newspapers at home, Linda Weaver and the rest of the reading department teachers, indeed all teachers and administrators at South, have done a great job in encouraging these young people to read.
***
Sadly, the lowest scores I noticed in seventh grade communication arts belonged to my former place of employment, the Diamond R-4 School District. It would be self-serving for me to say that the seventh graders who took the test were the first ones who did not have teaching them either writing or reading, but that is a part of the truth.
However, it is not I who made the difference, but the fact that during the first three years I was at Diamond, the district had a sixth, seventh, and eighth grade writing teacher. During my fourth and final year at Diamond, I had every student in the middle school for at least one quarter. I taught writing classes for all three grades, and reading classes for seventh and eighth graders. When Superintendent Mark Mayo decided he wanted me gone, he eliminated the writing and reading classes for seventh and eighth graders, then had the nerve to say that I was put on an unpaid leave of absence because I was the teacher whose loss would least affect the students.
Diamond students survived quite nicely without me, but not without the writing and reading classes. The dramatic drop in the MAP scores proves that.
McCaskill poised to run for Senate
I am not thrilled with the idea of State Auditor Claire McCaskill running for the U. S. Senate seat currently held by Jim Talent.
It's not that I don't feel she would make a capable U. S. Senator. The question that needs to be asked is: Is it good for the state if she wins a U. S. Senate seat?
Sure, it provides the Democratic Party with a strong candidate, most likely its strongest, to unseat Talent, but if McCaskill goes to Washington, who is going to ride herd on state officials who seem determined to push every ethical boundary possible?
Consider the current ethical quagmire Department of Revenue Director Trish Vincent is in with her failure to take legitimate bids for office equipment at the time state license fee offices were privatized.
You can't blame Ms. McCaskill for wanting to run for higher office or the Missouri Democratic Party for wanting her to do so, but the state of Missouri has benefited by having Ms. McCaskill in the state auditor position during the administrations of Bob Holden and Matt Blunt, two politicians who, from all appearances, prefer to use any method other than common sense to run the state government.
It's not that I don't feel she would make a capable U. S. Senator. The question that needs to be asked is: Is it good for the state if she wins a U. S. Senate seat?
Sure, it provides the Democratic Party with a strong candidate, most likely its strongest, to unseat Talent, but if McCaskill goes to Washington, who is going to ride herd on state officials who seem determined to push every ethical boundary possible?
Consider the current ethical quagmire Department of Revenue Director Trish Vincent is in with her failure to take legitimate bids for office equipment at the time state license fee offices were privatized.
You can't blame Ms. McCaskill for wanting to run for higher office or the Missouri Democratic Party for wanting her to do so, but the state of Missouri has benefited by having Ms. McCaskill in the state auditor position during the administrations of Bob Holden and Matt Blunt, two politicians who, from all appearances, prefer to use any method other than common sense to run the state government.
Helicopter parts to be made at Joplin plant
LaBarge, Inc., announced Friday it has been awarded more than $9 million worth of contracts to build parts for UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. according to today's Springdale Morning News.
Some of those parts will be made at LaBarge's Joplin plant.
Some of those parts will be made at LaBarge's Joplin plant.
'No Child Left Behind' criticized
"No Child Left Behind" poses many dangers for American education and perhaps the biggest one is pointed out in today's Boston Globe.
When the United States led the march toward a true public education, the primary purpose was to make sure that the populace was educated enough to be able to participate in our democratic system.
That is no longer the case.
The drive for higher test scores in math and reading and judging that by using standardized tests has pushed nearly everything else out the window. Civics or citizenship, as it was called when I attended East Newton High School, is not a primary concern any more. The main reason appears to be because a knowledge of how our political system works and our role in it is not as important to our elected leaders as what skills will help big business. And you will get no argument from me about the importance of reading or math, but there are other skills that are also important and No Child Left Behind is shortchanging those.
With the emphasis on those two subjects and on measuring them through the use of standardized tests, the goal purportedly is to improve the lot of minorities. That is a laudable goal, but we may also be permanently consigning them to second-class status.
Again using civics as an example, how can we assimilate the hundreds of thousands of immigrants into our society if they have no knowledge of how its political system works and how they can become involved and change it if they so desire?
As long as we continue this unholy reliance on standardized tests, we increase the risk that students will leave school as nothing more than cannon fodder for big business interests that want a low-paid workforce with few fringe benefits.
The purpose of education has never been to prepare students to be workers, though that certainly is part of it. Education is designed to make students productive members of society.
When we forget that, we put this country in danger of always being led by a privileged few.
***
Continuing along that line, the constant push toward a voucher system, always accompanied by claims that public education is failing, may be the most dangerous trend we have seen, and it is coming to Missouri big time. Governor Matt Blunt has come out in favor of a plan (though he doesn't call it a voucher plan) that would offer education tax credits and scholarships to low-income students which could be used at either public or private schools.
Blunt recently spoke at a meeting of leaders and activists for All Children Matter, in Silverthorne, Colo. All Children Matter is a pro school choice organization that poured more than $400,000 into Missouri political campaigns last year and is increasing its efforts in the state. The chairman of the House Education Committee, Jane Cunningham, R-St. Louis County, was appointed to that post after writing a letter to House Speaker Rod Jetton declaring that one of her primary qualifications for the post was how much campaign money she was bringing into this state from All Children Matter. Apparently, that convinced Jetton that she was an expert on education, although he insists it had nothing to do with her subsequent appointment.
Experts, and I use the term loosely, such as Rep. Cunningham, can point to numerous examples of private schools and charter schools that are providing quality education. They also point out, almost with glee, that many of the teachers at private schools are not paid as well as those at public schools. Therefore, it must be the public school system that is failing the students.
While I would be the last person to say that public education is blameless, the voucher-proponents conveniently fail to mention other reasons why the private-school educations seem to be so much superior. So let's take a look at a few of them:
-At private schools, nearly 100 percent of the students who are there are there because their parents have a strong belief that a quality education can improve their children's chances for success. A majority of the parents of children at public schools feel the same way, but there is a sizable minority that do not and their children are often the ones who create classroom disturbances and who post low scores on standardized tests. Many remarkable teachers are in private schools, but let's face it, any capable teacher will achieve success when every student is interested in learning.
-Another problem is that we are facing generations of children that don't have the same reverence for reading or learning that we did when we were younger and have so many more options for things to do when they are not at school. With the added distractions of video games, cable and satellite programming specifically aimed at children, and the ever-increasing number of sports teams, both school and club, that practice ever later into the evening, the time and inclination for reading have decreased. And in many of those homes, the parents do not have an abiding interest in reading either. That can be seen in the decline of book sales and newspaper circulation. Nearly all of the students at private schools have parents who instilled in them a strong reading habit, many of them before they ever set foot in a classroom. Many public school students have the same love of reading, but the public schools also get nearly 100 percent of those who have never been taught its importance. If those children reach school without a love of reading, the teachers really have their work cut out for them. That is why people should be talking about the remarkable work being done by public schoolteachers who have managed to increase test scores in reading despite this major obstacle.
-The public schools are handling an overwhelming majority of students who have severe learning disabilities, are mentally handicapped, or who speak English as a second language, or do not speak English at all. No Child Left Behind expects those children to succeed, and while that is the right goal, nearly all of these students are in public schools. The private schools not only do not deal with these children, most of them have no desire to do so.
-Society's ills play a big role in many of the failures of education. The Joplin R-8 School District, for which I work as an eighth grade communications arts (English) teacher is requiring its teachers to attend seminars on how to deal with children from poverty. I attended the two-day seminar this summer and it was enlightening. Some of it goes back to what I wrote earlier about the lack of books and newspapers in many of these homes. It is hard enough for some families to put food on the table. But poverty is not the only evil that has plagued our children and put extra strain on public education. So many children come from broken homes, have parents who physically or sexually abuse them, or are living with parents addicted to alcohol and drugs. The epidemic of methamphetamine addiction plays a major role in whether children are going to succeed in school.
***
The simple fact is the politicians, Republican and Democratic, overwhelmingly passed No Child Left Behind, immediately declared that public schools were the source of the problems in today's education, but never did anything to address the social ills that have increased public schoolteachers' challenges over the past few decades.
I have written before on several occasions that I am offended, and many of my fellow teachers are offended, by the name "No Child Left Behind'; not because we don't believe in that goal, but because it leaves the impression that until George W. Bush became president in 2001 teachers were content to leave children behind; to let them fail. That has never been the case.
We now have a mandated goal to have all children succeeding in math and reading by 2014. It won't happen. I only wish it would, but there is no way No Child Left Behind can reach its eventual goal.
As long as we have families devastated by divorce, physical and sexual abuse, poverty, alcohol and drug addiction, and parents who do not instill the love of reading and learning in their children before they come to school, we will have children left behind.
***
The Boston Globe article I mentioned at the beginning can be found at:
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/08/28/in_schools_we_trust/
When the United States led the march toward a true public education, the primary purpose was to make sure that the populace was educated enough to be able to participate in our democratic system.
That is no longer the case.
The drive for higher test scores in math and reading and judging that by using standardized tests has pushed nearly everything else out the window. Civics or citizenship, as it was called when I attended East Newton High School, is not a primary concern any more. The main reason appears to be because a knowledge of how our political system works and our role in it is not as important to our elected leaders as what skills will help big business. And you will get no argument from me about the importance of reading or math, but there are other skills that are also important and No Child Left Behind is shortchanging those.
With the emphasis on those two subjects and on measuring them through the use of standardized tests, the goal purportedly is to improve the lot of minorities. That is a laudable goal, but we may also be permanently consigning them to second-class status.
Again using civics as an example, how can we assimilate the hundreds of thousands of immigrants into our society if they have no knowledge of how its political system works and how they can become involved and change it if they so desire?
As long as we continue this unholy reliance on standardized tests, we increase the risk that students will leave school as nothing more than cannon fodder for big business interests that want a low-paid workforce with few fringe benefits.
The purpose of education has never been to prepare students to be workers, though that certainly is part of it. Education is designed to make students productive members of society.
When we forget that, we put this country in danger of always being led by a privileged few.
***
Continuing along that line, the constant push toward a voucher system, always accompanied by claims that public education is failing, may be the most dangerous trend we have seen, and it is coming to Missouri big time. Governor Matt Blunt has come out in favor of a plan (though he doesn't call it a voucher plan) that would offer education tax credits and scholarships to low-income students which could be used at either public or private schools.
Blunt recently spoke at a meeting of leaders and activists for All Children Matter, in Silverthorne, Colo. All Children Matter is a pro school choice organization that poured more than $400,000 into Missouri political campaigns last year and is increasing its efforts in the state. The chairman of the House Education Committee, Jane Cunningham, R-St. Louis County, was appointed to that post after writing a letter to House Speaker Rod Jetton declaring that one of her primary qualifications for the post was how much campaign money she was bringing into this state from All Children Matter. Apparently, that convinced Jetton that she was an expert on education, although he insists it had nothing to do with her subsequent appointment.
Experts, and I use the term loosely, such as Rep. Cunningham, can point to numerous examples of private schools and charter schools that are providing quality education. They also point out, almost with glee, that many of the teachers at private schools are not paid as well as those at public schools. Therefore, it must be the public school system that is failing the students.
While I would be the last person to say that public education is blameless, the voucher-proponents conveniently fail to mention other reasons why the private-school educations seem to be so much superior. So let's take a look at a few of them:
-At private schools, nearly 100 percent of the students who are there are there because their parents have a strong belief that a quality education can improve their children's chances for success. A majority of the parents of children at public schools feel the same way, but there is a sizable minority that do not and their children are often the ones who create classroom disturbances and who post low scores on standardized tests. Many remarkable teachers are in private schools, but let's face it, any capable teacher will achieve success when every student is interested in learning.
-Another problem is that we are facing generations of children that don't have the same reverence for reading or learning that we did when we were younger and have so many more options for things to do when they are not at school. With the added distractions of video games, cable and satellite programming specifically aimed at children, and the ever-increasing number of sports teams, both school and club, that practice ever later into the evening, the time and inclination for reading have decreased. And in many of those homes, the parents do not have an abiding interest in reading either. That can be seen in the decline of book sales and newspaper circulation. Nearly all of the students at private schools have parents who instilled in them a strong reading habit, many of them before they ever set foot in a classroom. Many public school students have the same love of reading, but the public schools also get nearly 100 percent of those who have never been taught its importance. If those children reach school without a love of reading, the teachers really have their work cut out for them. That is why people should be talking about the remarkable work being done by public schoolteachers who have managed to increase test scores in reading despite this major obstacle.
-The public schools are handling an overwhelming majority of students who have severe learning disabilities, are mentally handicapped, or who speak English as a second language, or do not speak English at all. No Child Left Behind expects those children to succeed, and while that is the right goal, nearly all of these students are in public schools. The private schools not only do not deal with these children, most of them have no desire to do so.
-Society's ills play a big role in many of the failures of education. The Joplin R-8 School District, for which I work as an eighth grade communications arts (English) teacher is requiring its teachers to attend seminars on how to deal with children from poverty. I attended the two-day seminar this summer and it was enlightening. Some of it goes back to what I wrote earlier about the lack of books and newspapers in many of these homes. It is hard enough for some families to put food on the table. But poverty is not the only evil that has plagued our children and put extra strain on public education. So many children come from broken homes, have parents who physically or sexually abuse them, or are living with parents addicted to alcohol and drugs. The epidemic of methamphetamine addiction plays a major role in whether children are going to succeed in school.
***
The simple fact is the politicians, Republican and Democratic, overwhelmingly passed No Child Left Behind, immediately declared that public schools were the source of the problems in today's education, but never did anything to address the social ills that have increased public schoolteachers' challenges over the past few decades.
I have written before on several occasions that I am offended, and many of my fellow teachers are offended, by the name "No Child Left Behind'; not because we don't believe in that goal, but because it leaves the impression that until George W. Bush became president in 2001 teachers were content to leave children behind; to let them fail. That has never been the case.
We now have a mandated goal to have all children succeeding in math and reading by 2014. It won't happen. I only wish it would, but there is no way No Child Left Behind can reach its eventual goal.
As long as we have families devastated by divorce, physical and sexual abuse, poverty, alcohol and drug addiction, and parents who do not instill the love of reading and learning in their children before they come to school, we will have children left behind.
***
The Boston Globe article I mentioned at the beginning can be found at:
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/08/28/in_schools_we_trust/
Teaching children from poverty poses challenges
The Joplin R-8 School District has placed a major emphasis on teaching children who come from poverty. All teachers are being required to attend seminars on economic diversity.
The seminars are based on the teachings of Texas educator Ruby Payne, and according to today's Washington Post, Ms. Payne's seminars are also being used to address poverty in our nation's capital.
The article may enlighten you about the challenges of teaching poor children. You can find it at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/27/AR2005082700081.html?referrer=email
The seminars are based on the teachings of Texas educator Ruby Payne, and according to today's Washington Post, Ms. Payne's seminars are also being used to address poverty in our nation's capital.
The article may enlighten you about the challenges of teaching poor children. You can find it at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/27/AR2005082700081.html?referrer=email
Friday, August 26, 2005
Story is beginning to get old
Let me get this straight.
Newspaper reporters find out that the Missouri Department of Revenue is giving away or selling without bids equipment that was used by state-owned license fee offices before they were privatized by the Blunt Administration. So all of a sudden bids are taken (though only fee office operators appointed by the governor are able to bid), but the DOR spokeswoman says it had nothing to do with news accounts or admonitions by State Auditor Claire McCaskill.
Now the governor's campaign committee, for a second time, has filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission acknowledging an "oversight" in reporting use of a Ford Explorer from Mike Kehoe Ford in Jefferson City. The first time the campaign filed an amended statement came when a forgotten use of a tour bus from the same Ford agency was added in April, one day after the Democratic party filed an ethics complaint about it. Coincidentally Kehoe was appointed to the State Highways and Transportation Commission. But Blunt's people were quick to say that the filing had nothing whatsoever to do with the ethics complaint; they just happened to come across this oversight while they were looking through campaign documents.
The pattern is obvious. If someone catches the Blunt campaign or Blunt's appointed state officials in an ethical quandary, suddenly action is taken...but not because they were caught.
Missourians grew used to inept leadership during the Holden years, so Matt Blunt's administration is just more of the same in that regard, but the apparent attitude that they can do anything until they get caught, then they can claim they were the ones who found out about the problem and corrected it (albeit poorly) and no one will notice is an insult to Missourians.
Newspaper reporters find out that the Missouri Department of Revenue is giving away or selling without bids equipment that was used by state-owned license fee offices before they were privatized by the Blunt Administration. So all of a sudden bids are taken (though only fee office operators appointed by the governor are able to bid), but the DOR spokeswoman says it had nothing to do with news accounts or admonitions by State Auditor Claire McCaskill.
Now the governor's campaign committee, for a second time, has filed paperwork with the Missouri Ethics Commission acknowledging an "oversight" in reporting use of a Ford Explorer from Mike Kehoe Ford in Jefferson City. The first time the campaign filed an amended statement came when a forgotten use of a tour bus from the same Ford agency was added in April, one day after the Democratic party filed an ethics complaint about it. Coincidentally Kehoe was appointed to the State Highways and Transportation Commission. But Blunt's people were quick to say that the filing had nothing whatsoever to do with the ethics complaint; they just happened to come across this oversight while they were looking through campaign documents.
The pattern is obvious. If someone catches the Blunt campaign or Blunt's appointed state officials in an ethical quandary, suddenly action is taken...but not because they were caught.
Missourians grew used to inept leadership during the Holden years, so Matt Blunt's administration is just more of the same in that regard, but the apparent attitude that they can do anything until they get caught, then they can claim they were the ones who found out about the problem and corrected it (albeit poorly) and no one will notice is an insult to Missourians.
The Associated Press article on the Ford Explorer fiasco can be found at:
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050826/NEWS01/508260374/1095
News Leader confirms Cox Health under investigation
Federal investigators have targeted five former and current Cox Health administrators according to an article in today's Springfield News-Leader.
The investigation was first mentioned in the June 8 Turner Report story on a lawsuit filed against Cox officials. That story can be found at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/06/lawsuit-cox-subject-of-federal-probe.html
The News-Leader article can be found at:
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050826/NEWS01/508260402/1095
The investigation was first mentioned in the June 8 Turner Report story on a lawsuit filed against Cox officials. That story can be found at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/06/lawsuit-cox-subject-of-federal-probe.html
The News-Leader article can be found at:
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050826/NEWS01/508260402/1095
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Globe editorial board jumps into controversy
You have to hand it to the Joplin Globe Editorial Board. In Friday's edition, the board, which is the same panel that endorsed Roosevelt in 1944 because FDR was easier to spell than Dewey, will come out in favor of having children buckled up in cars.
Sensing that a rising tide of people who are leaving their kids unbuckled or strapping them to the roof, the Globe editorial says, "Parents, relatives, friends and acquaintances should make certain that a car doesn't move until children are safely buckled."
Reportedly, part of the original editorial was removed, One Editorial Board member said, "What are the odds of an accident happening if people leave their kids unprotected in the backseat?"
Another board member said, " Let's call Gary Nodler and see what he says about it."
Sources indicate the senator said, "If those kids can't behave themselves they shouldn't be allowed in backseats."
Other sources insist that never happened, so it appears to be just another he said/she said situation.
On tap for Saturday, The Globe Editorial Board examines the phenomenon of Paris Hilton. Editorial Page Editor Clair Goodwin in a personal column will write, "I checked into the Paris Hilton and the rooms were filthy."
Sensing that a rising tide of people who are leaving their kids unbuckled or strapping them to the roof, the Globe editorial says, "Parents, relatives, friends and acquaintances should make certain that a car doesn't move until children are safely buckled."
Reportedly, part of the original editorial was removed, One Editorial Board member said, "What are the odds of an accident happening if people leave their kids unprotected in the backseat?"
Another board member said, " Let's call Gary Nodler and see what he says about it."
Sources indicate the senator said, "If those kids can't behave themselves they shouldn't be allowed in backseats."
Other sources insist that never happened, so it appears to be just another he said/she said situation.
On tap for Saturday, The Globe Editorial Board examines the phenomenon of Paris Hilton. Editorial Page Editor Clair Goodwin in a personal column will write, "I checked into the Paris Hilton and the rooms were filthy."
Franks named to Missouri State post
Governor Matt Blunt appointed Mike Franks, Neosho, to be on the first Board of Governors for the newly rechristened Missouri State University. Franks currently serves on the Southwest Missouri State University board. He is vice president of marketing for O'Sullivan Industries and was a former president of the Neosho R-5 Board of Education.
Blunt appointees receive goods at bargain rate
The Columbia Tribune's Josh Flory has been a roll lately uncovering one story after another detailing troubling ethical problems involving Governor Matt Blunt and his appointees.
The latest involves the sale of office equipment from formerly state-operated license fee offices...offices which now are under the control for the most part of people who contributed to the Blunt election campaign.
Apparently, after State Auditor Claire McCaskill criticized the unloading of the equipment without bids, The Department of Revenue put up the items for bid...but did so without advertising the bids and only opened up the bids to the people who were appointed to operate the revenue offices.
In one instance, a television, three fax machines, 15 calculators, eight step-stools, dozens and chairs and numerous other office items including bulletin boards, telephones and desks sold for a grand total of $151, according to Flory's article in today's paper.
The story originally broke in the St. Joseph newspaper on June 21 that state equipment was being sold cheaply to that city's new fee agent without any bids being taken. Now Department of Revenue officials are saying that was not the case and that fee agent placed a successful bid on Aug. 7 for those items.
Ms. McCaskill says these revelations are "troubling." She is being kind.
The latest involves the sale of office equipment from formerly state-operated license fee offices...offices which now are under the control for the most part of people who contributed to the Blunt election campaign.
Apparently, after State Auditor Claire McCaskill criticized the unloading of the equipment without bids, The Department of Revenue put up the items for bid...but did so without advertising the bids and only opened up the bids to the people who were appointed to operate the revenue offices.
In one instance, a television, three fax machines, 15 calculators, eight step-stools, dozens and chairs and numerous other office items including bulletin boards, telephones and desks sold for a grand total of $151, according to Flory's article in today's paper.
The story originally broke in the St. Joseph newspaper on June 21 that state equipment was being sold cheaply to that city's new fee agent without any bids being taken. Now Department of Revenue officials are saying that was not the case and that fee agent placed a successful bid on Aug. 7 for those items.
Ms. McCaskill says these revelations are "troubling." She is being kind.
AP reports judge blocks Internet access law
A law requiring the removal of addresses and telephone numbers of public officials from the Internet will not go into effect Aug. 28 as scheduled.
According to Associated Press, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brown issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday, along with a preliminary and permanent injunction. A hearing was scheduled for this afternoon.
This law, which essentially said that public officials should not be accessible to the people who pay their salaries, would have resulted in the removal of nearly all public information from the internet since there would be little way officials could tell who is a public official and who is not.
Instead of vetoing the law, Governor Matt Blunt signed it, then told government officials responsible for placing these items on the Internet to ignore it, something many of them did not feel comfortable doing. The governor asked the state legislature to fix the problem with the law during the upcoming special session.
According to Associated Press, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Brown issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday, along with a preliminary and permanent injunction. A hearing was scheduled for this afternoon.
This law, which essentially said that public officials should not be accessible to the people who pay their salaries, would have resulted in the removal of nearly all public information from the internet since there would be little way officials could tell who is a public official and who is not.
Instead of vetoing the law, Governor Matt Blunt signed it, then told government officials responsible for placing these items on the Internet to ignore it, something many of them did not feel comfortable doing. The governor asked the state legislature to fix the problem with the law during the upcoming special session.
Southwest City settles with former police chief
Former Southwest City Police Chief Ron Beaudry has settled his wrongful dismissal lawsuit against city officials, according to a filing today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
The document, filed by Beaudry's lawyer, Kirk D. Holman of Kansas City, says, the lawsuit "has been settled in its entirety and accordingly, the Court may make and enter its order dismissing this action." Both sides will handle their own costs, the document said.
No mention is made of what the amount or nature of the settlement was, though city officials will be legally required to reveal that information since the Missouri Legislature passed a law a few years back that requires any such settlement to be revealed since it involves taxpayer money. The bill was proposed by former State Rep. Mark Elliott after a case in which the Diamond R-4 Board of Education paid off a woman who was suing a superintendent for sexual harassment.
Beaudry brought his lawsuit against Southwest City after he was fired June 2, 2004, who was fired June 2, 2004, after he made an unsuccessful effort to fire police officer Toi Cannada.
Defendants in the lawsuit were the city of Southwest City, Mayor Al Dixon, and council members Farley Martin and Mildred Weaver. Beaudry noted in his petition that Ms. Cannada is Martin's stepdaughter.Beaudry was hired as police chief in June 2003, according to the petition. Ms. Canada was hired on a part-time basis last November. She was promoted to full-time status after a closed council meeting in March 2004, the petition says.
At that point, Beaudry conducted a background check and uncovered alcohol-related offenses, he said. "On March 12, 2004," the petition says, "(Beaudry) received a fax from Angela Heckart, a representative with Beimdiek Insurance Agency, regarding the insurability of Ms. Cannada." Ms. Heckart said Ms. Canada could not be insured because she had an alcohol-related driving offense in the three years before she was hired.On March 30, the city received a fax saying that Ms. Cannada was prohibited from using any city vehicle. At that point, Beaudry fired her. "On or about April 13, 2004," the petition said, "the city council refused to fire Canada, rehired her, and allowed her to operate her own vehicle to conduct police business."
On May 14, the council suspended Beaudry after he went public about his concerns about Ms. Canada, the petition said. On June 2, he was fired.In the petition, Beaudry claimed his First Amendment free speech rights were violated by the city officials.
The document, filed by Beaudry's lawyer, Kirk D. Holman of Kansas City, says, the lawsuit "has been settled in its entirety and accordingly, the Court may make and enter its order dismissing this action." Both sides will handle their own costs, the document said.
No mention is made of what the amount or nature of the settlement was, though city officials will be legally required to reveal that information since the Missouri Legislature passed a law a few years back that requires any such settlement to be revealed since it involves taxpayer money. The bill was proposed by former State Rep. Mark Elliott after a case in which the Diamond R-4 Board of Education paid off a woman who was suing a superintendent for sexual harassment.
Beaudry brought his lawsuit against Southwest City after he was fired June 2, 2004, who was fired June 2, 2004, after he made an unsuccessful effort to fire police officer Toi Cannada.
Defendants in the lawsuit were the city of Southwest City, Mayor Al Dixon, and council members Farley Martin and Mildred Weaver. Beaudry noted in his petition that Ms. Cannada is Martin's stepdaughter.Beaudry was hired as police chief in June 2003, according to the petition. Ms. Canada was hired on a part-time basis last November. She was promoted to full-time status after a closed council meeting in March 2004, the petition says.
At that point, Beaudry conducted a background check and uncovered alcohol-related offenses, he said. "On March 12, 2004," the petition says, "(Beaudry) received a fax from Angela Heckart, a representative with Beimdiek Insurance Agency, regarding the insurability of Ms. Cannada." Ms. Heckart said Ms. Canada could not be insured because she had an alcohol-related driving offense in the three years before she was hired.On March 30, the city received a fax saying that Ms. Cannada was prohibited from using any city vehicle. At that point, Beaudry fired her. "On or about April 13, 2004," the petition said, "the city council refused to fire Canada, rehired her, and allowed her to operate her own vehicle to conduct police business."
On May 14, the council suspended Beaudry after he went public about his concerns about Ms. Canada, the petition said. On June 2, he was fired.In the petition, Beaudry claimed his First Amendment free speech rights were violated by the city officials.
Sportsman's Friend dead at 92
I never cared much for "The Sportsman's Friend' as appointment television, but there was something comforting in knowing that it would be on Channel 7 every Saturday night at 6 p.m. (later moved to other time slots).
That folksy voice made you feel like you were spending a half hour with a friend, even if you didn't care much about the show's subject- fishing, and sacreligious though it may be, I never did. And who could ever forget the show's signoff with the organ playing the catchy theme.
Chad Stebbins at MSSU was kind enough to provide me with some background material on Mr. Ensley, who was born and raised in Healy, Kan., just north of Dodge City and began his half-century broadcasting career as a salesman for WMBH radio in Joplin.
He provided his first fishing reports on WMBH. The show caught on and he moved on to KIMO radio in Independence, where he started "The Sportsman's Friend." The show moved to television in 1953 with Ford Motor Company as a sponsor. At first, it was syndicated regionally, carried by KOAM, KTTS in Springfield, and stations in Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City, and St. Joseph. By 1973, it was shown in 70 markets across the U. S. and in Canada.
I was lucky enough to have met Mr. Ensley a couple of times, once in Joplin and once at East Newton High School. Though our meetings were brief, you always left a conversation with Harold Ensley feeling as if you had talked to an old friend.
Harold Ensley was 92 years old and reportedly had not been in good health for a while. It's hard to think of the world without someone who was such a fixture in it while I was growing up and through my adulthood, but it gets a lot easier when you realize that Mr. Ensley has probably just gone fishin', instead of just a-wishin'.
That folksy voice made you feel like you were spending a half hour with a friend, even if you didn't care much about the show's subject- fishing, and sacreligious though it may be, I never did. And who could ever forget the show's signoff with the organ playing the catchy theme.
Chad Stebbins at MSSU was kind enough to provide me with some background material on Mr. Ensley, who was born and raised in Healy, Kan., just north of Dodge City and began his half-century broadcasting career as a salesman for WMBH radio in Joplin.
He provided his first fishing reports on WMBH. The show caught on and he moved on to KIMO radio in Independence, where he started "The Sportsman's Friend." The show moved to television in 1953 with Ford Motor Company as a sponsor. At first, it was syndicated regionally, carried by KOAM, KTTS in Springfield, and stations in Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City, and St. Joseph. By 1973, it was shown in 70 markets across the U. S. and in Canada.
I was lucky enough to have met Mr. Ensley a couple of times, once in Joplin and once at East Newton High School. Though our meetings were brief, you always left a conversation with Harold Ensley feeling as if you had talked to an old friend.
Harold Ensley was 92 years old and reportedly had not been in good health for a while. It's hard to think of the world without someone who was such a fixture in it while I was growing up and through my adulthood, but it gets a lot easier when you realize that Mr. Ensley has probably just gone fishin', instead of just a-wishin'.
Globe finally corrects Nodler misinformation
It took nearly a week but the Joplin Globe finally admitted it was wrong in its Gary Nodler editorial last week when it said that both Democrats and Republicans voted for the Medicaid cuts, when in fact it was a straight party line vote.
In today's edition, the Globe correction reads:
"An editorial Friday, Aug. 19, stated that members of both political parties in Missouri voted for cutting Medicaid. That was incorrect. No Democrats voted for the Medicaid bills."
This is one of those times where readers also need to know the source of that misinformation. Earlier in The Turner Report, I questioned if the information came directly from Nodler and his supporters. If that is the case, and what other logical explanation would account for such a flight from reality, then the Globe not only let its editorial policy be dictated by the senator, but it also failed the Journalism 101 credo to doublecheck your information.
Even worse, the Globe editorial board had no qualms about using this outright lie to discredit its own reporters' hard work.
It is a shame that Max McCoy, the Globe reporter who initially broke the story of Nodler's meltdown, cannot be assigned to investigate his own newspaper's editorial board.
In today's edition, the Globe correction reads:
"An editorial Friday, Aug. 19, stated that members of both political parties in Missouri voted for cutting Medicaid. That was incorrect. No Democrats voted for the Medicaid bills."
This is one of those times where readers also need to know the source of that misinformation. Earlier in The Turner Report, I questioned if the information came directly from Nodler and his supporters. If that is the case, and what other logical explanation would account for such a flight from reality, then the Globe not only let its editorial policy be dictated by the senator, but it also failed the Journalism 101 credo to doublecheck your information.
Even worse, the Globe editorial board had no qualms about using this outright lie to discredit its own reporters' hard work.
It is a shame that Max McCoy, the Globe reporter who initially broke the story of Nodler's meltdown, cannot be assigned to investigate his own newspaper's editorial board.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Stefanick voted to cut others' healthcare, but not her own
The gesture by Rep. Trent Skaggs, D-Kansas City, was a small one, but a symbolic one. On April 13, Skaggs offered an amendment to House Bill 5, which would have reduced health care coverage for Missouri legislators.
As I noted in the April 14 Turner Report, Skaggs submitted an amendment to trim $281,602 from the appropriations bill for legislators' insurance. The amendment was defeated by a vote of
78 to 75, with those voting to keep the benefits for lawmakers, including area legislators Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, Ron Richard, R-Joplin, Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, and Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City. The only two area legislators to vote to cut their benefits were Rep. Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, and Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar.
Among those who opted to keep the benefits was Rep. Jodi Stefanick, R-Ballwin, who resigned as a state representative this week to take a post in the Blunt Administration as senior health care policy advisor. Ms. Stefanick, it should be noted, not only voted to cut Medicaid benefits for poor Missourians, but also was a major player when it came to the crafting of that legislation. As mentioned earlier in The Turner Report, she also has received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from medical, health and insurance special interest groups.
As I noted in the April 14 Turner Report, Skaggs submitted an amendment to trim $281,602 from the appropriations bill for legislators' insurance. The amendment was defeated by a vote of
78 to 75, with those voting to keep the benefits for lawmakers, including area legislators Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, Ron Richard, R-Joplin, Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, and Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City. The only two area legislators to vote to cut their benefits were Rep. Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, and Rep. Ed Emery, R-Lamar.
Among those who opted to keep the benefits was Rep. Jodi Stefanick, R-Ballwin, who resigned as a state representative this week to take a post in the Blunt Administration as senior health care policy advisor. Ms. Stefanick, it should be noted, not only voted to cut Medicaid benefits for poor Missourians, but also was a major player when it came to the crafting of that legislation. As mentioned earlier in The Turner Report, she also has received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from medical, health and insurance special interest groups.
Blunt appointment rolled in health care dough
Matt Blunt's decision to appoint Rep. Jodi Stefanick, R-Ballwin, as his senior health care policy advisor is yet another gift to the health and insurance special interests that shaped so much of the 2005 legislation.
Ms. Stefanick's campaign coffers were filled with special interest money from doctors and health care and insurance companies...and, of course, she donated $1,200, the maximum allowed under state law, from that campaign money to Blunt's campaign.
In her last few days as a legislator, Ms. Ballwin went out in style, accepting nearly $400 in money from health care lobbyist James R. Moody in June, well after the 2005 legislative session had concluded, according to Missouri Ethics Commission documents.
Moody's report indicates that he spent $368.40 on June 15 for travel for Ms. Stefanick, while representing Schaller Anderson, a national health care management and consulting company. It is not clear from the online Ethics Commission documents who Moody was representing when he paid $25 for meals, food and beverage for Ms. Stefanick on June 28, but it was either for Family Health Partners or Missouri Care.
Ms. Stefanick's campaign finance disclosure forms for 2004 cement her reputation as a handmaiden for the health care special interests. While she was played a well-recognized role as a chief architect of the Medicaid Reform plan and voted for so-called reforms that helped pad the pockets of the medical and insurance interests, Ms. Stefanick supplied more than two-thirds of her campaign funds with money from the same people.
Her campaign committee's October 2004 quarterly report shows that she received at least $8,350 from health-related interests during the three-month period, including:
Missouri Hospital Association PAC for Health, $300; Missouri Hospital Association Southeast District PAC, $300; Missouri Hospital Association St. Louis District PAC, $300; Midwest Radiological Associates PC, $300; Missouri Medical PAC, $300; Missouri Association of Health Plan, $200; Dr. Jeffrey Thomasson, $300; Professional Athletic Rehab Center, $250; Michael Neidorff, chairman of Centere Corporation, $300; Golden Rule Insurance Company, $300; West County Radiological Group, Inc., $300; Dr. Charles Fuszner, $300; American Family Insurance, $300; SSM Health Care, $300; Devereaux Chiropractic and Acupuncture, $75; Jim Moody (lobbyist) and Associates, $300; The Affton LeMay Chiropractic Center, $100; Dr. Donna Manello, $100; Eric Fink, Missouri Assisted Living Association, $300; Missouri Podiatry PAC, $300; someone listed as Dr. Crosby, $100; West County Care Center, $300; Missouri Insurance Coalition, $200; Whispering Lane Health Care Center, $300; Firsthand Health Center, $100; Deanna Mueller, therapist, $100; Gerald Grimaldi, Truman Medical Center, $100; Doral Dental USA, $300; Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center, $100; Midwest Imaging and Prevention, $100; Metro Heart Group of St. Louis, $300; Group Health Plan, $300; Donna Checkett, listed in one news story as director of Missouri Division of Medical Services, which administers the state Medicaid program, $200; Dr. Joan Pernaud, $150; Midwest Cardiovascular Center, $100; Abbel Chiropractic Arts, $75; Missouri Dental Hygienists PAC, $300.
Another huge batch of health-related donors kicked in to Ms. Stefanick's campaign in the second quarter of 2004, according to her committee's quarterly report. Among those listed:
Balanced Care for Women of St. Louis, $300; Eric Fink, Missouri Assisted Living Association, $300; Health Care Association Missouri Good Government Fund, $300; Health Care Leadership Committee State Account, $300; Joan Pernoud, $200; MD Pharmacy, Inc., $300; Missouri Orthopaedic Sports and Trauma Clinic, $300; Missouri Residential Care Services, Inc., $100; Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists PAC, $300; MOPLAN Missouri Psychologists, $300; Missouri Physical Therapy Association PAC, $100; Pharmacy Solutions, Inc., $300; United Healthcare Corp $150; and Whispering Oaks Health Care Center, Inc., $300.
Three hundred dollars, of course, was the maximum that could be contributed to state representative campaigns under Missouri law.
Even during the first quarter of 2004, before the campaigns really kicked in, Ms. Stefanick's campaign was already depositing checks from health care interests, according to the campaign disclosure form, including $300 from Sunrise Senior Living Services, $300 from Physicians for Sound Health Care Policy, $300 from Johnson and Johnson, and $200 from the Missouri Physical Therapists Association.
It should be remembered that while Ms. Stefanick was working to cut thousands off the Medicaid rolls, she was also helping pass and craft legislation which enriched those people who supplied the bulk of her campaign finances.
Ms. Stefanick's campaign coffers were filled with special interest money from doctors and health care and insurance companies...and, of course, she donated $1,200, the maximum allowed under state law, from that campaign money to Blunt's campaign.
In her last few days as a legislator, Ms. Ballwin went out in style, accepting nearly $400 in money from health care lobbyist James R. Moody in June, well after the 2005 legislative session had concluded, according to Missouri Ethics Commission documents.
Moody's report indicates that he spent $368.40 on June 15 for travel for Ms. Stefanick, while representing Schaller Anderson, a national health care management and consulting company. It is not clear from the online Ethics Commission documents who Moody was representing when he paid $25 for meals, food and beverage for Ms. Stefanick on June 28, but it was either for Family Health Partners or Missouri Care.
Ms. Stefanick's campaign finance disclosure forms for 2004 cement her reputation as a handmaiden for the health care special interests. While she was played a well-recognized role as a chief architect of the Medicaid Reform plan and voted for so-called reforms that helped pad the pockets of the medical and insurance interests, Ms. Stefanick supplied more than two-thirds of her campaign funds with money from the same people.
Her campaign committee's October 2004 quarterly report shows that she received at least $8,350 from health-related interests during the three-month period, including:
Missouri Hospital Association PAC for Health, $300; Missouri Hospital Association Southeast District PAC, $300; Missouri Hospital Association St. Louis District PAC, $300; Midwest Radiological Associates PC, $300; Missouri Medical PAC, $300; Missouri Association of Health Plan, $200; Dr. Jeffrey Thomasson, $300; Professional Athletic Rehab Center, $250; Michael Neidorff, chairman of Centere Corporation, $300; Golden Rule Insurance Company, $300; West County Radiological Group, Inc., $300; Dr. Charles Fuszner, $300; American Family Insurance, $300; SSM Health Care, $300; Devereaux Chiropractic and Acupuncture, $75; Jim Moody (lobbyist) and Associates, $300; The Affton LeMay Chiropractic Center, $100; Dr. Donna Manello, $100; Eric Fink, Missouri Assisted Living Association, $300; Missouri Podiatry PAC, $300; someone listed as Dr. Crosby, $100; West County Care Center, $300; Missouri Insurance Coalition, $200; Whispering Lane Health Care Center, $300; Firsthand Health Center, $100; Deanna Mueller, therapist, $100; Gerald Grimaldi, Truman Medical Center, $100; Doral Dental USA, $300; Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center, $100; Midwest Imaging and Prevention, $100; Metro Heart Group of St. Louis, $300; Group Health Plan, $300; Donna Checkett, listed in one news story as director of Missouri Division of Medical Services, which administers the state Medicaid program, $200; Dr. Joan Pernaud, $150; Midwest Cardiovascular Center, $100; Abbel Chiropractic Arts, $75; Missouri Dental Hygienists PAC, $300.
Another huge batch of health-related donors kicked in to Ms. Stefanick's campaign in the second quarter of 2004, according to her committee's quarterly report. Among those listed:
Balanced Care for Women of St. Louis, $300; Eric Fink, Missouri Assisted Living Association, $300; Health Care Association Missouri Good Government Fund, $300; Health Care Leadership Committee State Account, $300; Joan Pernoud, $200; MD Pharmacy, Inc., $300; Missouri Orthopaedic Sports and Trauma Clinic, $300; Missouri Residential Care Services, Inc., $100; Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists PAC, $300; MOPLAN Missouri Psychologists, $300; Missouri Physical Therapy Association PAC, $100; Pharmacy Solutions, Inc., $300; United Healthcare Corp $150; and Whispering Oaks Health Care Center, Inc., $300.
Three hundred dollars, of course, was the maximum that could be contributed to state representative campaigns under Missouri law.
Even during the first quarter of 2004, before the campaigns really kicked in, Ms. Stefanick's campaign was already depositing checks from health care interests, according to the campaign disclosure form, including $300 from Sunrise Senior Living Services, $300 from Physicians for Sound Health Care Policy, $300 from Johnson and Johnson, and $200 from the Missouri Physical Therapists Association.
It should be remembered that while Ms. Stefanick was working to cut thousands off the Medicaid rolls, she was also helping pass and craft legislation which enriched those people who supplied the bulk of her campaign finances.
Trial set for accused hospital embezzler
The embezzlement trial of Kimberly Schlup, 41, Deerfield, former chief financial officer of Barton County Memorial Hospital in Lamar has been rescheduled for Oct. 13 in Cedar County, where it is being heard on a change of venue. The trial had originally been set for this week.
Ms. Schlup allegedly stole $77,735 from the hospital between March 15, 1999, and Oct. 7, 2003. An assistant Missouri attorney general will prosecute the case, assisted by Barton County Prosecuting Attorney Steven Kaderly.
Ms. Schlup allegedly stole $77,735 from the hospital between March 15, 1999, and Oct. 7, 2003. An assistant Missouri attorney general will prosecute the case, assisted by Barton County Prosecuting Attorney Steven Kaderly.
Columnist addresses Blunt-McCaskill squabble
Kansas City Star columnist Mike Hendricks has an excellent essay on the controversy brewing over Governor Matt Blunt's refusal to allow State Auditor Claire McCaskill to do performance audits of state departments and agencies.
Hendricks does not say that Blunt is necessarily wrong with his contention that the auditor does not have the legal right to conduct such audits, but he raises a valid point: Does Matt Blunt have any public relations skills whatsoever? His refusal to allow Ms.McCaskill to do the same kind of audits she conducted when the Democratic administration of Bob Holden was in power simply looks like the actions of a spoiled child with something to hide.
You can find the column at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12458206.htm
Hendricks does not say that Blunt is necessarily wrong with his contention that the auditor does not have the legal right to conduct such audits, but he raises a valid point: Does Matt Blunt have any public relations skills whatsoever? His refusal to allow Ms.McCaskill to do the same kind of audits she conducted when the Democratic administration of Bob Holden was in power simply looks like the actions of a spoiled child with something to hide.
You can find the column at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12458206.htm
Pre-trial conference set in Meerwald lawsuits
After a long period of inactivity, a Nov. 1 pretrial conference date has finally been set in Jasper County Circuit Court in the wrongful death lawsuits filed by Betty Dodson, and Amy and Michael Mann against the drunk driver who killed their loved ones.
Meerwald is serving a 14-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He was driving drunk when his car left the roadway and killed James Dodson, 68, Neosho, and Dodson's granddaughter, Jessica Mann, 8, of Joplin. Mr. Dodson's widow and Miss Mann's parents filed the lawsuit.
Meerwald is scheduled to be in McDonald County Circuit Court for an Oct. 4 hearing on the appeal of his conviction.
Meerwald is serving a 14-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He was driving drunk when his car left the roadway and killed James Dodson, 68, Neosho, and Dodson's granddaughter, Jessica Mann, 8, of Joplin. Mr. Dodson's widow and Miss Mann's parents filed the lawsuit.
Meerwald is scheduled to be in McDonald County Circuit Court for an Oct. 4 hearing on the appeal of his conviction.
Fox Sports coming to WMBH
After a brief experiment with standards by singers like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, the Lettermen, etc., the new owner of WMBH, 1560 AM in Joplin is switching back to a sports talk format, according to Missouri Radio Forums.
The station was already boxed in by Carthage's KDMO, which has had great success with the standards.
Before switching to the standards format, WMBH had been affiliated with ESPN Sports. When it returns, it will be with Fox Sports. The move may have been made as a preemptive strike since Zimmer recently bought two Joplin AM stations, including 1230 KWAS, which has been running ESPN sports and Chicago White Sox baseball directly from a Chicago radio station feed.
The only sports programming WMBH had been running since dropping its previous sports talk format has been St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
The station was already boxed in by Carthage's KDMO, which has had great success with the standards.
Before switching to the standards format, WMBH had been affiliated with ESPN Sports. When it returns, it will be with Fox Sports. The move may have been made as a preemptive strike since Zimmer recently bought two Joplin AM stations, including 1230 KWAS, which has been running ESPN sports and Chicago White Sox baseball directly from a Chicago radio station feed.
The only sports programming WMBH had been running since dropping its previous sports talk format has been St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
La-Z-Boy first quarter sales down
First quarter net income for La-Z-Boy Inc., which employs more than 1,000 at its Neosho plant, were $451 million, down from $455 million during the same period last year, according to PR Newswire.
CEO Kurt Darrow said results were down due to a "weaker-than-expected retail environment," and costs from the 21 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores the company bought in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005.
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CEO Kurt Darrow said results were down due to a "weaker-than-expected retail environment," and costs from the 21 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores the company bought in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005.
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Cebridge to offer TiVo
TiVo services will be offered to all Cebridge Connections customers, including those in Neosho, according to the Tuesday St. Louis Business Journal.
TiVO creates television services for digital video recorders.
TiVO creates television services for digital video recorders.
More sales coming at J. C. Penney
Shoppers at the Joplin and Pittsburg J. C. Penney stores will save some money in the near future.
The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that the Texas-based company has finished the comeback portion of its strategy and has now entered the financial growth stage. A key component of the growth plan will be a number of sales at every J. C. Penney store across the country.l
The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday that the Texas-based company has finished the comeback portion of its strategy and has now entered the financial growth stage. A key component of the growth plan will be a number of sales at every J. C. Penney store across the country.l
Carthage Humane Society horses can be adopted
The former owner of more than 100 abused horses will not receive an opportunity to get the animals back.
According to an article in today's Springfield News-Leader, Greene County Circuit Court Judge Don Burrell rejected the request of William Zobel, Republic, for a temporary restraining order.
The Carthage Humane Society will be allowed to adopt out the horses, 28 of which have been kept there since they were confisicated from Zobel after being found mistreated and malnourished.
According to an article in today's Springfield News-Leader, Greene County Circuit Court Judge Don Burrell rejected the request of William Zobel, Republic, for a temporary restraining order.
The Carthage Humane Society will be allowed to adopt out the horses, 28 of which have been kept there since they were confisicated from Zobel after being found mistreated and malnourished.
Beverly to accept NASC bid
After a brief flirtation with Formation Capital, Beverly Enterprises Inc., which formerly owned several nursing homes in southwest Missouri and still has one in Anderson, has agreed to a $13 per share merger bid from North American Senior Care, Inc., according to Arkansas Business.
Two weeks ago, Beverly officials agreed to sell to NASC then Formation Capital, which had attempted a hostile takeover earlier this year, came in with a higher bid. The most recent bid by NASC was 20 cents per share higher, Arkanaas Business said, and is approximately $1.9 billion.
Two weeks ago, Beverly officials agreed to sell to NASC then Formation Capital, which had attempted a hostile takeover earlier this year, came in with a higher bid. The most recent bid by NASC was 20 cents per share higher, Arkanaas Business said, and is approximately $1.9 billion.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Audit shows $4.1 million in child support never reached children
You would think that a state audit that showed that the Missouri Department of Social Services had not paid $4.1 million in child support, some dating back to 1997, because it couldn't find a current address for the intended recipient would be considered big news on the state website, but that is not the case.
The state publicity machine saw fit to include the department's response to the audit in the headlines on the state website's homepage, but not the news release on the audit itself.
The audit indicates not much of an effort was being made to find the addresses, but of course, the official response from the department pointed out that this amounted to less than one percent of child support.
While that is probably true, what difference does it make. It's still $4.1 million that did not go to children who needed it. I would much preferred to have had the spokesman say, "We are working to improve on this," or something of that nature, rather than "Hey, $4.1 million really isn't that much money."
The state publicity machine saw fit to include the department's response to the audit in the headlines on the state website's homepage, but not the news release on the audit itself.
The audit indicates not much of an effort was being made to find the addresses, but of course, the official response from the department pointed out that this amounted to less than one percent of child support.
While that is probably true, what difference does it make. It's still $4.1 million that did not go to children who needed it. I would much preferred to have had the spokesman say, "We are working to improve on this," or something of that nature, rather than "Hey, $4.1 million really isn't that much money."
Rudolph sentence brings back 1996 memories
The news that Eric Rudolph has been sentenced to life in prison for the 1996 Olympic Park bombing reminded me of yet another one of those young people who worked for me at The Carthage Press and who made that time so enjoyable.
When we heard that there had been a bombing in Atlanta, our first concern was about our teenage reporter Keegan Checkett from Carthage, who was at the event with her family. As soon as she had a chance Keegan called to let us know she was nowhere near the park, but she was able to offer The Press something that few small daily newspapers had that year, live, on-the-spot coverage of an Olympics that was even more newsworthy than usual.
Keegan worked for The Press for two summers, teaming with Lamar's Cait Purinton to provide us with an infusion of young talent during that time. Even after she left Carthage to attend Dartmouth University, she continued for quite some time to write a well-received column.
The last I heard from Keegan, she was back in Missouri. She was one of those former Press teen reporters who did not make the leap into professional journalism, but don't worry about Keegan, we hear that doctors do pretty well in this country, too.
When we heard that there had been a bombing in Atlanta, our first concern was about our teenage reporter Keegan Checkett from Carthage, who was at the event with her family. As soon as she had a chance Keegan called to let us know she was nowhere near the park, but she was able to offer The Press something that few small daily newspapers had that year, live, on-the-spot coverage of an Olympics that was even more newsworthy than usual.
Keegan worked for The Press for two summers, teaming with Lamar's Cait Purinton to provide us with an infusion of young talent during that time. Even after she left Carthage to attend Dartmouth University, she continued for quite some time to write a well-received column.
The last I heard from Keegan, she was back in Missouri. She was one of those former Press teen reporters who did not make the leap into professional journalism, but don't worry about Keegan, we hear that doctors do pretty well in this country, too.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Globe offers another hard-hitting editorial
For those of you who are on pins and needles waiting to see how The Joplin Globe's editorial board will top its recent kiss-up to Sen. Gary Nodler, the wait is over.
In Tuesday's Globe, the editorial writer is back to boldly attacking the evils that face our society. You'll have to wait to read it, but the Globe is saying that the BTK killer will not find forgiveness.
Reportedly, in an editorial slated for later this week, the Globe will declare that Hitler was a bad man. (Of course, the editorial board firmly believes that the Holocaust was just another he said/she said story.)
In Tuesday's Globe, the editorial writer is back to boldly attacking the evils that face our society. You'll have to wait to read it, but the Globe is saying that the BTK killer will not find forgiveness.
Reportedly, in an editorial slated for later this week, the Globe will declare that Hitler was a bad man. (Of course, the editorial board firmly believes that the Holocaust was just another he said/she said story.)
Parker: Agreement will keep O'Sullivan factories open
Just a couple of days after reaching a forbearance agreement with its debtors, O'Sullivan Industries has amended its revolving credit agreement with General Electric Capital Corp., staving off imminent financial peril.
The company filed the agreement with GE with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission Friday. GE will not force O'Sullivan to default even though the Atlanta-based company, still the biggest employer in Lamar, failed to make its July 15 interest payment on $100 million worth of senior subordinated notes.
Million-dollar CEO Bob Parker says the agreement with GE will enable O'Sullivan Industries to keep its factories going.
The company filed the agreement with GE with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission Friday. GE will not force O'Sullivan to default even though the Atlanta-based company, still the biggest employer in Lamar, failed to make its July 15 interest payment on $100 million worth of senior subordinated notes.
Million-dollar CEO Bob Parker says the agreement with GE will enable O'Sullivan Industries to keep its factories going.
Moark, Hudgens waive formal arraignment
Moark and its regional manager Dan Hudgens waived their formal arraignments on animal abuse charges today in Newton County Circuit Court.
Hudgens' pretrial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 7, while Moark will have a pretrial conference 10 a.m. Aug. 31, according to court records.
Lawyers for both have filed motions to dismiss.
Charges were filed after Rick Bussey, who owns adjacent property to Moark videotaped the disposal of live chickens in a dumpster.
Hudgens' pretrial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 7, while Moark will have a pretrial conference 10 a.m. Aug. 31, according to court records.
Lawyers for both have filed motions to dismiss.
Charges were filed after Rick Bussey, who owns adjacent property to Moark videotaped the disposal of live chickens in a dumpster.
No Child Left Behind criticized
"No Child Left Behind" is a lofty, but unrealistic goal, as I have pointed out in earlier postings. All you have to have to keep from reaching the 100 percent success rate that American schools have to have by 2014 is one set of parents who don't care about their children's education, or one student who simply does not care.
Or it could be one teacher who is not qualified, or more likely, one student who is feeling under the weather on the day the high-stakes test is given.
An article in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that some states are challenging the provisions of the law and some are questioning the absolutely ridiculous grading system under which a school can fail if a small percentage of students comes up short.
For instance in the St. Louis area, one of the best schools did not meet the federal standards because its special education students' scores went down. In every other area, the school improved and, in fact, had higher test scores than many that were considered to be passing by the federal government.
Of course, No Child Left Behind is a winner for President Bush no matter what happens. If there are dramatic improvements in student scores, the president can take the credit. If the program fails, it is because those lazy, good-for-nothing public schoolteachers are not doing their job and the U. S. should consider installing an educational voucher system.
I can't recall ever meeting any lazy, good-for-nothing teachers, but don't get me started on the politicians who use teachers as punching bags to get elected or re-elected. Maybe if they had paid more attention when they were in class, we might be getting better legislation.
Or it could be one teacher who is not qualified, or more likely, one student who is feeling under the weather on the day the high-stakes test is given.
An article in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that some states are challenging the provisions of the law and some are questioning the absolutely ridiculous grading system under which a school can fail if a small percentage of students comes up short.
For instance in the St. Louis area, one of the best schools did not meet the federal standards because its special education students' scores went down. In every other area, the school improved and, in fact, had higher test scores than many that were considered to be passing by the federal government.
Of course, No Child Left Behind is a winner for President Bush no matter what happens. If there are dramatic improvements in student scores, the president can take the credit. If the program fails, it is because those lazy, good-for-nothing public schoolteachers are not doing their job and the U. S. should consider installing an educational voucher system.
I can't recall ever meeting any lazy, good-for-nothing teachers, but don't get me started on the politicians who use teachers as punching bags to get elected or re-elected. Maybe if they had paid more attention when they were in class, we might be getting better legislation.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Remembering LeRoy Hughes
For a 49-week period, beginning on Aug. 15, 1996, and ending on July 11, 1997, I was the managing editor of what I still believe was the best weekly newspaper this area has seen- The Lamar Press.
If you have read this blog for the past several months, you have probably come across a mention of it from time to time. It was a complete local newspaper with coverage of city government, county government, school, sports, and maybe the best stable of columnists a small-town weekly has ever had.
The newspaper featured general columns from Kim Earl, Katie Jeffries and Cait Purinton, a cooking column by Susan Davis Mabe, a religious column by Doug Oakes, and occasional guest columns by Amy Lamb.
Three people contributed columns to each edition of The Lamar Press. I wrote regular columns each week, and usually had a sports column, as well. Marvin VanGilder wrote historical tales of Lamar and Barton County.
But the most popular column by far in that short-lived but fondly remembered newspaper was the one Nancy Hughes wrote- and what a great sport her husband, LeRoy, was for he was a featured player in many of her hilarious columns about the Hughes family life. Other men might not have appreciated being a regular feature in the community newspaper, but LeRoy took it with a grain of salt. He knew his wife loved writing the column and that was good enough for him.
I never knew LeRoy Hughes that well and sadly, I will never have that opportunity. He died this week from a heart attack at age 56. I only had brief conversations with him when I ran into him and his wife at various ballgames and other school functions.
From what I knew of him, both from Nancy's columns and from talking with her, it was obvious that LeRoy provided the foundation upon which a wonderful family was built. He provided support for Nancy as she not only served as Lamar R-1 school nurse, but became a widely-respected proponent of abstinence-based sex education. She also helped start the highly successful Hi-Step program at Lamar High School.
LeRoy and Nancy also had great success with their three children, Tyler, Leigh and Lindsay, all of whom I had the pleasure of working with during their school days. Tyler takes after his father and is the quiet, hard-working type. The daughters inherited the hard-working part, but inherited their mother's infectious, outgoing personality.
I can remember the battles Leigh fought to restore the pre-game prayer at Lamar High School football games, and how when it was finally restored the year after Leigh graduated, it was Lindsay who said that first prayer over the stadium loudspeaker.
LeRoy Hughes was one of the few fathers who had the opportunity to see his daughter receive her first kiss and her marriage proposal. In fact, there were over 1,000 of us who saw that first kiss, since it was given to her by Brent Swearingen when Leigh was crowned Lamar High School Basketball Homecoming Queen in February 1993. Two years later, Leigh's boyfriend, Doug Kirkpatrick proposed to her in front of a homecoming basketball crowd, since he knew how much that first kiss, my story about it and the overwhelmingly positive reaction she received from it (after she got over the initial embarrassment) meant to her. The two were married in June 1997, (a wedding which I covered for one of the last issues of The Lamar Press.)
I just finished rereading the 49 columns Nancy wrote for The Press. Sometimes she had me laughing, and there was almost never a time when I didn't feel my face curling into a smile. From what I read in those columns and what was obvious when Nancy and LeRoy were together, I don't know if I have ever seen two people who still so obviously enjoyed each other's company after three decades of marriage.
What a wonderful example to pass on to their children and grandchildren.
If you have read this blog for the past several months, you have probably come across a mention of it from time to time. It was a complete local newspaper with coverage of city government, county government, school, sports, and maybe the best stable of columnists a small-town weekly has ever had.
The newspaper featured general columns from Kim Earl, Katie Jeffries and Cait Purinton, a cooking column by Susan Davis Mabe, a religious column by Doug Oakes, and occasional guest columns by Amy Lamb.
Three people contributed columns to each edition of The Lamar Press. I wrote regular columns each week, and usually had a sports column, as well. Marvin VanGilder wrote historical tales of Lamar and Barton County.
But the most popular column by far in that short-lived but fondly remembered newspaper was the one Nancy Hughes wrote- and what a great sport her husband, LeRoy, was for he was a featured player in many of her hilarious columns about the Hughes family life. Other men might not have appreciated being a regular feature in the community newspaper, but LeRoy took it with a grain of salt. He knew his wife loved writing the column and that was good enough for him.
I never knew LeRoy Hughes that well and sadly, I will never have that opportunity. He died this week from a heart attack at age 56. I only had brief conversations with him when I ran into him and his wife at various ballgames and other school functions.
From what I knew of him, both from Nancy's columns and from talking with her, it was obvious that LeRoy provided the foundation upon which a wonderful family was built. He provided support for Nancy as she not only served as Lamar R-1 school nurse, but became a widely-respected proponent of abstinence-based sex education. She also helped start the highly successful Hi-Step program at Lamar High School.
LeRoy and Nancy also had great success with their three children, Tyler, Leigh and Lindsay, all of whom I had the pleasure of working with during their school days. Tyler takes after his father and is the quiet, hard-working type. The daughters inherited the hard-working part, but inherited their mother's infectious, outgoing personality.
I can remember the battles Leigh fought to restore the pre-game prayer at Lamar High School football games, and how when it was finally restored the year after Leigh graduated, it was Lindsay who said that first prayer over the stadium loudspeaker.
LeRoy Hughes was one of the few fathers who had the opportunity to see his daughter receive her first kiss and her marriage proposal. In fact, there were over 1,000 of us who saw that first kiss, since it was given to her by Brent Swearingen when Leigh was crowned Lamar High School Basketball Homecoming Queen in February 1993. Two years later, Leigh's boyfriend, Doug Kirkpatrick proposed to her in front of a homecoming basketball crowd, since he knew how much that first kiss, my story about it and the overwhelmingly positive reaction she received from it (after she got over the initial embarrassment) meant to her. The two were married in June 1997, (a wedding which I covered for one of the last issues of The Lamar Press.)
I just finished rereading the 49 columns Nancy wrote for The Press. Sometimes she had me laughing, and there was almost never a time when I didn't feel my face curling into a smile. From what I read in those columns and what was obvious when Nancy and LeRoy were together, I don't know if I have ever seen two people who still so obviously enjoyed each other's company after three decades of marriage.
What a wonderful example to pass on to their children and grandchildren.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Globe reporters angered by Nodler editorial
At most newspapers, from time to time the editorial page content differs from what is seen on the news pages.
Very seldom does the editorial page undercut the editors and reporters of a newspaper as blatantly as The Joplin Globe did this week with its editorial on Gary Nodler's confrontation with a 20-year-old caregiver at a local movie theater.
It was the Globe that first brought the matter to the public's attention in a page-one story by written by investigative reporter Max McCoy, and kept it alive with follow-up reports. The issue obviously resonated with the public, considering all of the letters to the editor and comments on the Globe's website.
Then the Globe editorial board entered the picture and said it was not a story after all. It was just a he said/she said situation.
As you can imagine, Globe reporters are angered about this and some of them believe that the editorial was spoon-fed to the Globe editorial page editor by Gary Nodler and his supporters. Consider some of what was put in the editorial:
"It would be informative if he were to confirm Nodler’s contention that others in the theater asked for refunds because of the noise level." This indicates that the Globe editorial board is 100 percent certain that Nodler's version of the story is the complete truth.
"Legislative members of both parties voted for reducing Medicaid to bring under control the spending that threatened to take ever-larger chunks out of a resource-limited state budget," the editorial said. That appears to some Globe reporters to come directly from the Nodler camp since it would have only taken a few minutes for editorial writer to double check his facts. Though some are trying to show that in preliminary votes, Democrats also voted for the Medicaid cuts, the simple fact is the cuts were made totally on a party-line vote. Not one Democrat voted yes.
Morale is low at the Globe, as you can imagine. Editors and reporters have been shown that there are sacred cows that cannot be written about truthfully and Sen. Gary Nodler is one of them.
Now they are wondering who else is on that list.
Very seldom does the editorial page undercut the editors and reporters of a newspaper as blatantly as The Joplin Globe did this week with its editorial on Gary Nodler's confrontation with a 20-year-old caregiver at a local movie theater.
It was the Globe that first brought the matter to the public's attention in a page-one story by written by investigative reporter Max McCoy, and kept it alive with follow-up reports. The issue obviously resonated with the public, considering all of the letters to the editor and comments on the Globe's website.
Then the Globe editorial board entered the picture and said it was not a story after all. It was just a he said/she said situation.
As you can imagine, Globe reporters are angered about this and some of them believe that the editorial was spoon-fed to the Globe editorial page editor by Gary Nodler and his supporters. Consider some of what was put in the editorial:
"It would be informative if he were to confirm Nodler’s contention that others in the theater asked for refunds because of the noise level." This indicates that the Globe editorial board is 100 percent certain that Nodler's version of the story is the complete truth.
"Legislative members of both parties voted for reducing Medicaid to bring under control the spending that threatened to take ever-larger chunks out of a resource-limited state budget," the editorial said. That appears to some Globe reporters to come directly from the Nodler camp since it would have only taken a few minutes for editorial writer to double check his facts. Though some are trying to show that in preliminary votes, Democrats also voted for the Medicaid cuts, the simple fact is the cuts were made totally on a party-line vote. Not one Democrat voted yes.
Morale is low at the Globe, as you can imagine. Editors and reporters have been shown that there are sacred cows that cannot be written about truthfully and Sen. Gary Nodler is one of them.
Now they are wondering who else is on that list.
Preliminary hearing set for Jobst
A Nov. 4 preliminary hearing has been scheduled in McDonald County Circuit Court for Grove family dentist Karl Jobst, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the June 14, 2003, accident in which his girlfriend, Helen Chandler, was killed. Authorities believe Jobst was driving while intoxicated.
The court date is set for less than three weeks after a federal lawsuit filed by AllState Insurance against Jobst concerning this incident is scheduled to go to trial in the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Jobst is a former Lamar resident.
The court date is set for less than three weeks after a federal lawsuit filed by AllState Insurance against Jobst concerning this incident is scheduled to go to trial in the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Jobst is a former Lamar resident.
Friday, August 19, 2005
DNR issues demand letter against RES
If Renewable Environmental Solutions (RES) does not solve its odor problem in Carthage by Sept. 5, its violations will be reported to the Missouri Air Conservation Commission.
Carthage residents are getting a bit tired of the hand-slapping being done by the DNR. Despite putting an office in Carthage and repeatedly earning headlines with its threats against the company, the odor remains and the only win Carthage residents had was that the company shut down its odor-creating apparatus for the Carthage Senior High School graduation and the annual Fourth of July Celebration.
The DNR press release says the company has been issued five Notices of Excess Emissions, with the first coming on March 31, followed by notices on April 15, April 20, June 10 and July 22. And remember, these notices came months after the odor problem began and only after the DNR consistently said it could not find anything wrong. The notices were not issued until Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt took an active interest in April and passed along his concerns to his son, Governor Matt Blunt.
According to today's news release, "The demand letter offers RES an opportunity to discuss and negotiate an acceptable and reasonable resolution.The department documented the excess emissions during its ongoing investigation into odor complaints in the area surrounding the Carthage Industrial Bottoms. The department upgraded the five Notices of Excess Emissions to Notices of Violations after RES's documentation failed to justify the excess emissions.If the department and RES are unable to reach agreement or schedule a meeting by Sept. 5, 2005, negotiations will cease and the department will place the matter before the Missouri Air Conservation Commission. At that meeting, the department's Air Pollution Control Program will request authorization to refer RES's unresolved violations to the Attorney General's Office for appropriate legal action."
I suppose it's better years late than never.
Carthage residents are getting a bit tired of the hand-slapping being done by the DNR. Despite putting an office in Carthage and repeatedly earning headlines with its threats against the company, the odor remains and the only win Carthage residents had was that the company shut down its odor-creating apparatus for the Carthage Senior High School graduation and the annual Fourth of July Celebration.
The DNR press release says the company has been issued five Notices of Excess Emissions, with the first coming on March 31, followed by notices on April 15, April 20, June 10 and July 22. And remember, these notices came months after the odor problem began and only after the DNR consistently said it could not find anything wrong. The notices were not issued until Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt took an active interest in April and passed along his concerns to his son, Governor Matt Blunt.
According to today's news release, "The demand letter offers RES an opportunity to discuss and negotiate an acceptable and reasonable resolution.The department documented the excess emissions during its ongoing investigation into odor complaints in the area surrounding the Carthage Industrial Bottoms. The department upgraded the five Notices of Excess Emissions to Notices of Violations after RES's documentation failed to justify the excess emissions.If the department and RES are unable to reach agreement or schedule a meeting by Sept. 5, 2005, negotiations will cease and the department will place the matter before the Missouri Air Conservation Commission. At that meeting, the department's Air Pollution Control Program will request authorization to refer RES's unresolved violations to the Attorney General's Office for appropriate legal action."
I suppose it's better years late than never.
Beverly considers second buyout bid
Just two days after it announced it was being bought out for $1.9 billion by North American Senior Care, Inc., Beverly Enterprises, which at one time owned nursing homes across southwest Missouri and still owns one in Anderson, said today it is entertaining another offer.
Arkansas Business says the company is considering a new officer from Formation Capital LLC, the company that attempted a hostile takeover of Beverly earlier this year. The company is offering $12.90 per share, 10 cents per share higher than what North American is offering, the Arkansas Business article said. The North American deal was not scheduled to go into effect until Aug. 23.
Arkansas Business says the company is considering a new officer from Formation Capital LLC, the company that attempted a hostile takeover of Beverly earlier this year. The company is offering $12.90 per share, 10 cents per share higher than what North American is offering, the Arkansas Business article said. The North American deal was not scheduled to go into effect until Aug. 23.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Joplin Globe shows hypocrisy in Nodler editorial
In Friday's Joplin Globe, the newspaper's editorial board, an august group of thumbsuckers if ever one existed, says too much has been made of Sen. Gary Nodler's theater meltdown and that it was just a he said/she said situation.
First, a history lesson. We would not even know about Nodler's rude treatment of a 20-year-old caregiver and remarks about developmentally disabled adults and the caregiver's use of the F-word had it not been for the Globe splashing it across page one.
Part of the reason this story has continued to simmer long after the incident is that quotes from reader comments have remained on the homepage of the Globe's website. Plus, the newspaper has printed follow-up stories.
This is that the Globe editorial writer has penned for tomorrow's edition:
The "incident" has sparked letters, e-mails and telephone calls, mostly from people who are upset with state Sen. Gary Nodler’s handling of what might be best described as a run-in over the noise being made by a group of disabled people in a Joplin theater. What should have been nothing more than a brief vocal exchange between Nodler and a caregiver, Amanda Richardson, for the five disabled clients attending the movie has escalated into a political circus, with critics suggesting that the senator’s comments about the group making too much noise and the appropriateness of people who are disruptive to attend a movie somehow comport with cutting Medicaid and the plight of those with disabilities.
This isn't a Republican and Democrat or liberal and conservative issue or about Medicaid cuts made by the state, although there are many who would like to make it so. Legislative members of both parties voted for reducing Medicaid to bring under control the spending that threatened to take ever-larger chunks out of a resource-limited state budget. The fact that a caregiver thought that Nodler was disrespectful to her clients with his comment about the noise to his brother as they were leaving the theater simply was that person’s opinion. The senator says that the caregiver was rude and used the "f-word" toward him and that he informed the theater manager of the incident involving the alleged obscenity. He did not, he says, request that the group be asked to leave.
Unfortunately, the theater manager has remained quiet. It would be informative if he were to confirm Nodler’s contention that others in the theater asked for refunds because of the noise level. This is a "he-said, she-said" issue that has taken on an undeserving life of its own. It never should have happened and it never should have gotten beyond an "I’m sorry for the misunderstanding" early on.
***
Now, of course there is allegedly a church-state type separation between a newspaper's reporting staff and its editorial board. That may fly with The New York Times. It does not fly with The Joplin Globe.
"The fact that a caregiver thought that Nodler was disrespectful to her clients with his comment about the noise to his brother as they were leaving the theater simply was that person’s opinion." If that's the way the Globe's editors believe, then why was this story written in the first place?
And the Globe's editorial board is dead wrong about this issue not being connected with the Medicare cuts. Both seem to show a disregard for people who do not have the lofty station that Sen. Nodler has reached.
If this story was so unimportant then why did the Globe follow up on Springfield blogger Ron Davis' initial report (later confirmed by Associated Press) on Nodler receiving free movie tickets. It appears that Nodler's powerful friends have exerted some political pressure on The Joplin Globe. The editorial was a slap in the face to the caregiver, the disabled, and to the Joplin Globe reporters who uncovered a very revealing story about one of the most powerful men in the Missouri Senate.
Fortunately, this story appears to have a life of its own and nothing that the cowards who make up the Globe's editorial board do can make it disappear.
First, a history lesson. We would not even know about Nodler's rude treatment of a 20-year-old caregiver and remarks about developmentally disabled adults and the caregiver's use of the F-word had it not been for the Globe splashing it across page one.
Part of the reason this story has continued to simmer long after the incident is that quotes from reader comments have remained on the homepage of the Globe's website. Plus, the newspaper has printed follow-up stories.
This is that the Globe editorial writer has penned for tomorrow's edition:
The "incident" has sparked letters, e-mails and telephone calls, mostly from people who are upset with state Sen. Gary Nodler’s handling of what might be best described as a run-in over the noise being made by a group of disabled people in a Joplin theater. What should have been nothing more than a brief vocal exchange between Nodler and a caregiver, Amanda Richardson, for the five disabled clients attending the movie has escalated into a political circus, with critics suggesting that the senator’s comments about the group making too much noise and the appropriateness of people who are disruptive to attend a movie somehow comport with cutting Medicaid and the plight of those with disabilities.
This isn't a Republican and Democrat or liberal and conservative issue or about Medicaid cuts made by the state, although there are many who would like to make it so. Legislative members of both parties voted for reducing Medicaid to bring under control the spending that threatened to take ever-larger chunks out of a resource-limited state budget. The fact that a caregiver thought that Nodler was disrespectful to her clients with his comment about the noise to his brother as they were leaving the theater simply was that person’s opinion. The senator says that the caregiver was rude and used the "f-word" toward him and that he informed the theater manager of the incident involving the alleged obscenity. He did not, he says, request that the group be asked to leave.
Unfortunately, the theater manager has remained quiet. It would be informative if he were to confirm Nodler’s contention that others in the theater asked for refunds because of the noise level. This is a "he-said, she-said" issue that has taken on an undeserving life of its own. It never should have happened and it never should have gotten beyond an "I’m sorry for the misunderstanding" early on.
***
Now, of course there is allegedly a church-state type separation between a newspaper's reporting staff and its editorial board. That may fly with The New York Times. It does not fly with The Joplin Globe.
"The fact that a caregiver thought that Nodler was disrespectful to her clients with his comment about the noise to his brother as they were leaving the theater simply was that person’s opinion." If that's the way the Globe's editors believe, then why was this story written in the first place?
And the Globe's editorial board is dead wrong about this issue not being connected with the Medicare cuts. Both seem to show a disregard for people who do not have the lofty station that Sen. Nodler has reached.
If this story was so unimportant then why did the Globe follow up on Springfield blogger Ron Davis' initial report (later confirmed by Associated Press) on Nodler receiving free movie tickets. It appears that Nodler's powerful friends have exerted some political pressure on The Joplin Globe. The editorial was a slap in the face to the caregiver, the disabled, and to the Joplin Globe reporters who uncovered a very revealing story about one of the most powerful men in the Missouri Senate.
Fortunately, this story appears to have a life of its own and nothing that the cowards who make up the Globe's editorial board do can make it disappear.
ConAgra agrees to pay fine
ConAgra, the driving force behind Renewable Environmental Solutions, the company that has made people hold their noses in Carthage for more than a year, has agreed to plead guilty in U. S. District Court of the District of Minnesota to violating the Clean Water act at its food ingredient and flour mill in Hastings, Minn., according to a news release from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The company will pay a $138,513 criminal fine and $1,487 in restitution to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and provide $55,000 in community service to the National Park Foundation and $55,000 in community service to Friends of the Mississippi River
ConAgra officials admitted they negligently failed to report and maintain proper documentation of discharge water temperature readings as required by its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit, according to the EPA.
Those readings were higher than what was allowed according to the company's permit. The company logged the readings, but never gave them to pollution authorities, the EPA said.
The company will pay a $138,513 criminal fine and $1,487 in restitution to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and provide $55,000 in community service to the National Park Foundation and $55,000 in community service to Friends of the Mississippi River
ConAgra officials admitted they negligently failed to report and maintain proper documentation of discharge water temperature readings as required by its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit, according to the EPA.
Those readings were higher than what was allowed according to the company's permit. The company logged the readings, but never gave them to pollution authorities, the EPA said.
Abramovitz featured in Monett Times article
Longtime East Newton teacher Teresa Abramovitz, who is the new principal at Central Elementary School in Pierce City, is profiled in today's Monett Times. You can find the article at:
http://www.monett-times.com/NF/omf/monett/news_story.html?[rkey=0020005+[cr=gdn
http://www.monett-times.com/NF/omf/monett/news_story.html?[rkey=0020005+[cr=gdn
Nixon considers challenging Blunt
At a time when the late Richard M. Nixon might be able to beat Matt Blunt, another non-related Nixon, Attorney General Jay Nixon, is considering mounting a challenge against Blunt in 2008, according to an article in today's Springfield News-Leader. You can find the article at:
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050818/BREAKING01/50818001
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050818/BREAKING01/50818001
Alaniz covers vice president's visit
As I have written before, I like it when TV reporters are able to take the time to talk about their jobs, not necessarily about how tough they have it, but in a way that gives the viewers some insight into the story.
KSN anchor Tiffany Alaniz, covered Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to Springfield today. The visit wasn't too exciting (we are talking Dick Cheney here), but I was interested in Ms. Alaniz' conversation with 5 p.m. co-host Gary Bandy about the security at the visit. Since this is the kind of thing that any viewer would run into while attending a visit by the president or vice president, it is useful information.
I also appreciate KSN's wisdom in putting Ms. Alaniz out in the field, especially on a hard news story.
I wasn't that thrilled by the Mariah Carey/Eminem conversation that followed. Oh, well, one step forward, two steps back.
KSN anchor Tiffany Alaniz, covered Vice President Dick Cheney's visit to Springfield today. The visit wasn't too exciting (we are talking Dick Cheney here), but I was interested in Ms. Alaniz' conversation with 5 p.m. co-host Gary Bandy about the security at the visit. Since this is the kind of thing that any viewer would run into while attending a visit by the president or vice president, it is useful information.
I also appreciate KSN's wisdom in putting Ms. Alaniz out in the field, especially on a hard news story.
I wasn't that thrilled by the Mariah Carey/Eminem conversation that followed. Oh, well, one step forward, two steps back.
Brother's letter ratchets up Nodler firestorm
The reactions to a letter written to The Joplin Globe by Charles Nodler defending his brother's movie meltdown has provoked an avalanche of response, nearly all Nodler negative. Remaining quiet would have been a wiser option for both Nodlers. You can find the letter and the responses at:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=201770&c=96
http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=201770&c=96
McBride competent to stand trial
Webb City businessman Keith Erwin McBride pleaded not guilty today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on a federal arson charge. McBride is charged in connection with the April 14 fire that destroyed his business Coin-Op at 302 W. 4th, Webb City.
The issue of whether he was competent to stand trial was removed from the table by the defense, according to court records. McBride was released on bond.
The issue of whether he was competent to stand trial was removed from the table by the defense, according to court records. McBride was released on bond.
Jury finds in favor of Joplin police officer
It only took a little over two hours for a federal jury to find in favor of Joplin Police Officer James Kelly Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by a man who says Kelly violated his rights during an arrest four years ago.
It would have been a shot in the arm for the beleaguered Joplin Police Department, which is still reeling from a civil rights investigation into two officers' interrogation and handcuffing of an 11-year-old at a Joplin elementary school. The emphasis is on "would have" since The Turner Report has been the only source for information on this lawsuit.
Today's proceedings began with testimony from Kelly, followed by testimony from officers Carl Francis and Greg Batson, who backed Kelly's version of what happened the night Kelly went into the home of James Keener to arrest him after he failed to stop after Kelly turned on his emergency lights.
At the close of all evidence, the defense again made a motion for a directed verdict, which was again denied by Judge Richard E. Dorr. After closing arguments, the case went to the jury, which found in favor of Kelly.
More information about the case can be found in the Aug. 17 Turner Report at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/motion-for-directed-verdict-in-joplin.html
It would have been a shot in the arm for the beleaguered Joplin Police Department, which is still reeling from a civil rights investigation into two officers' interrogation and handcuffing of an 11-year-old at a Joplin elementary school. The emphasis is on "would have" since The Turner Report has been the only source for information on this lawsuit.
Today's proceedings began with testimony from Kelly, followed by testimony from officers Carl Francis and Greg Batson, who backed Kelly's version of what happened the night Kelly went into the home of James Keener to arrest him after he failed to stop after Kelly turned on his emergency lights.
At the close of all evidence, the defense again made a motion for a directed verdict, which was again denied by Judge Richard E. Dorr. After closing arguments, the case went to the jury, which found in favor of Kelly.
More information about the case can be found in the Aug. 17 Turner Report at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/motion-for-directed-verdict-in-joplin.html
Pierik back on KOAM Morning News
One of the risks Nexstar Broadcasting took when it pulled KSNF and KODE off local cable outlets is that people would sample the competition and find out they like it.
I had not watched the KOAM morning show since the concept was first introduced to the area by Toby Cook in the early '90s. I had grown accustomed to watching first, Gary Bandy and Tiffany Alaniz on KSN and later Alan Matthews and Malorie Maddox on KODE.
Once I had to put up an antenna to watch KSNF and KODE, I tried KOAM's Morning Show with Sarah Pierik and Dave Pylant and found it to be a genuine treat.
I know I am going to hear the news and weather done professionally (and there have been days especially when the anchors were starting on the other morning programs that the words were mangled and mumbled). Miss Pierik gives the appearance (and I am willing to bet it is an accurate appearance) of someone who does an incredible amount of preparation each day. She speaks clearly and pronounces words correctly. How in the world KOAM has managed to keep her on the morning show for so long I have no idea.
I also do not have to worry about the news being overshadowed by remotes at places that I don't find remotely interesting, or read in the middle of a pep rally at some local high school.
That was why I was so disappointed when the school year started Monday. I had to start getting up early again and there was no Sarah Pierik on the morning news. Anne Bassett and Lisa Olliges were doing a fine job, but listening to Miss Pierik read the news was one of the few things that made me look forward to having to get up at 5 a.m. (And I appreciate the job Pylant does with the weather, also.)
She was back on the air today, so until she is snatched up by some larger station, all is right in the morning once again.
I had not watched the KOAM morning show since the concept was first introduced to the area by Toby Cook in the early '90s. I had grown accustomed to watching first, Gary Bandy and Tiffany Alaniz on KSN and later Alan Matthews and Malorie Maddox on KODE.
Once I had to put up an antenna to watch KSNF and KODE, I tried KOAM's Morning Show with Sarah Pierik and Dave Pylant and found it to be a genuine treat.
I know I am going to hear the news and weather done professionally (and there have been days especially when the anchors were starting on the other morning programs that the words were mangled and mumbled). Miss Pierik gives the appearance (and I am willing to bet it is an accurate appearance) of someone who does an incredible amount of preparation each day. She speaks clearly and pronounces words correctly. How in the world KOAM has managed to keep her on the morning show for so long I have no idea.
I also do not have to worry about the news being overshadowed by remotes at places that I don't find remotely interesting, or read in the middle of a pep rally at some local high school.
That was why I was so disappointed when the school year started Monday. I had to start getting up early again and there was no Sarah Pierik on the morning news. Anne Bassett and Lisa Olliges were doing a fine job, but listening to Miss Pierik read the news was one of the few things that made me look forward to having to get up at 5 a.m. (And I appreciate the job Pylant does with the weather, also.)
She was back on the air today, so until she is snatched up by some larger station, all is right in the morning once again.
Nursing home company sells
Beverly Enterprises, which once had nursing homes throughout southwest Missouri and still has one in Anderson, entered a merger agreement with North American Senior Care, according to a news release issued Wednesday. The deal was worth $1.9 billion.
Beverly is based in Fort Smith, Ark.
Beverly is based in Fort Smith, Ark.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Motion for directed verdict in Joplin Police trial denied
The lawsuit against Joplin police officer James Kelly continued today after U. S. District Court Judge Richard E. Dorr denied a defense motion for a directed verdict at the end of the plaintiff's case.
Kelly is being sued by James Keener, who says the officer violated his civil rights during a drunk driving arrest on April 1, 2000.
According to court records, Keener was driving at 30th and Main on that date when "a Joplin police officer began following (him) without (his) knowledge." Keener drove the remaining two and a half blocks to his home, pulled into the driveway and parked his car in the carport. He turned off the car and went into his house through the rear door.Shortly afterward, Officer Kelly "entered the residence and began assaulting plaintiff." It wasn't long before other officers arrived and joined in, the complaint said. The other officers are listed as "John Does" in the complaint. The Joplin Police Department was initially listed in the complaint but the judge dismissed the department as a defendant.Keener was sprayed with Mace "injuring his face and eyes and damaging the carpeting in (his) residence so that it had to be replaced."The door to Keener's house was also damaged, the complaint said, as well as a personal computer, glassware and other personal property. The police had no arrest warrant and no search warrant, facts which have been stipulated by both sides.
After Keener was subdued, he was handcuffed and taken to the Municipal Jail, where he was placed in a cell "with no running water or toilet facilities for a period of over eight-and-one-half hours while his wife tried to post a bail bond for him," according to the complaint.
Keener says the officers' actions were a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure and "unlawful and unreasonable use of force incident to an arrest."Keener is asking for compensation for his injuries and for his "emotional distress," damages for his property and punitive damages.
In his response, Kelly said he began following Keener because of his "erratic driving" and was using his emergency lights. "Plaintiff failed and refused to stop." Any injuries Keener suffered, the response said, "were brought on by plaintiff's resisting arrest, becoming combative and his drunken condition."An exhibit list filed today by the defense indicates evidence presented will include the DWI ticket, an April 1, 2000 mug shot of Keener, his Missouri and Kansas rap sheets, the use of force report, the alcohol influence report and the dispatch log.
According to court documents, Keener denied committing any traffic violations and disputed Kelly's claim that he activated his emergency lights before Keener was in his home.
Keener claims Kelly violated his Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search or seizure while Kelly claims he had every right to enter the home and arrest Keener due to the doctrine of fresh pursuit, which previous court rulings say is permitted following traffic violations and previous rulings that have said suspects may not avoid an arrest by retreating to a private place.
Kelly is being sued by James Keener, who says the officer violated his civil rights during a drunk driving arrest on April 1, 2000.
According to court records, Keener was driving at 30th and Main on that date when "a Joplin police officer began following (him) without (his) knowledge." Keener drove the remaining two and a half blocks to his home, pulled into the driveway and parked his car in the carport. He turned off the car and went into his house through the rear door.Shortly afterward, Officer Kelly "entered the residence and began assaulting plaintiff." It wasn't long before other officers arrived and joined in, the complaint said. The other officers are listed as "John Does" in the complaint. The Joplin Police Department was initially listed in the complaint but the judge dismissed the department as a defendant.Keener was sprayed with Mace "injuring his face and eyes and damaging the carpeting in (his) residence so that it had to be replaced."The door to Keener's house was also damaged, the complaint said, as well as a personal computer, glassware and other personal property. The police had no arrest warrant and no search warrant, facts which have been stipulated by both sides.
After Keener was subdued, he was handcuffed and taken to the Municipal Jail, where he was placed in a cell "with no running water or toilet facilities for a period of over eight-and-one-half hours while his wife tried to post a bail bond for him," according to the complaint.
Keener says the officers' actions were a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure and "unlawful and unreasonable use of force incident to an arrest."Keener is asking for compensation for his injuries and for his "emotional distress," damages for his property and punitive damages.
In his response, Kelly said he began following Keener because of his "erratic driving" and was using his emergency lights. "Plaintiff failed and refused to stop." Any injuries Keener suffered, the response said, "were brought on by plaintiff's resisting arrest, becoming combative and his drunken condition."An exhibit list filed today by the defense indicates evidence presented will include the DWI ticket, an April 1, 2000 mug shot of Keener, his Missouri and Kansas rap sheets, the use of force report, the alcohol influence report and the dispatch log.
According to court documents, Keener denied committing any traffic violations and disputed Kelly's claim that he activated his emergency lights before Keener was in his home.
Keener claims Kelly violated his Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search or seizure while Kelly claims he had every right to enter the home and arrest Keener due to the doctrine of fresh pursuit, which previous court rulings say is permitted following traffic violations and previous rulings that have said suspects may not avoid an arrest by retreating to a private place.
Technicality gives baby killer shot at freedom
The system failed Trey Crawford during the five months he spent on his earth.
Now it appears it is failing him even after his death.
Twice during his brief life, Trey had to be taken to the emergency room, once for bruising, and another time for a fractured skull. Finally, his father, Justin Sardeson, the man who should have been protecting him, rolled over on the baby, suffocating him. News accounts of Sardeson's trial indicated the earlier incidents were never investigated...until after Trey Crawford was dead.
Webster County Prosecuting Attorney Cynthia Black charged Sardeson with first degree murder. The trial was held in March 2004 in Dallas County on a change of venue. The jury found Sardeson guilty of the lesser crime of second degree murder and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
At the time of Sardeson's conviction, Ms. Black wrote, "As a result of Trey's death, I challenge all agencies to educate and train their people about protecting children. It is not enough to look back and say Trey Crawford fell through the cracks. We must take action."
Unfortunately, the most recent action in the case was taken today by the Missouri Southern District Court of Appeals which tossed out Sardeson's conviction and sent the case back to Dallas County for a new trial...because prospective jurors were seated according to age instead of at random.
In its opinion, the appellate panel said its job was to determine whether that "jury selection process was a substantial failure to comply" with the law.
"We find that it was and are forced to reverse and remand for a new trial."
The circuit clerk's error in seating the jury was not discovered until after the trial, according to the opinion, even though Ms. Black had told the judge it appeared the prospective jurors were seated according to age.
"The clerk assured the trial court that the jury panel was not seated by age, that it was indeed a random selection. Admirably, the prosecuting attorney pressed the issue a second time because she was 'afraid that the court of appeals is going to look at this and say any idiot would have seen that they were seated from oldest to youngest" prior to trial, but was again assured that the jury panel was randomly seated." So the trial started. The defense attorney did not know until after the trial when it was discovered that the jury panel was indeed seated by age, thanks to the computerized list used by the circuit clerk.
The lawyers had already exercised their challenges to potential jurors well before the pool got anywhere near jurors who were close to Sardeson's 22 years. The jury panel that was seated ranged from 44 to 72 years old, according to the opinion.
"Such a practice defeats the very purpose of the jury selection process," the opinion said. "A system has been established by statute that provides, insofar as is practical, for a random selection of jurors from a cross-section of the community and from various locations in the county."
Now it appears it is failing him even after his death.
Twice during his brief life, Trey had to be taken to the emergency room, once for bruising, and another time for a fractured skull. Finally, his father, Justin Sardeson, the man who should have been protecting him, rolled over on the baby, suffocating him. News accounts of Sardeson's trial indicated the earlier incidents were never investigated...until after Trey Crawford was dead.
Webster County Prosecuting Attorney Cynthia Black charged Sardeson with first degree murder. The trial was held in March 2004 in Dallas County on a change of venue. The jury found Sardeson guilty of the lesser crime of second degree murder and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
At the time of Sardeson's conviction, Ms. Black wrote, "As a result of Trey's death, I challenge all agencies to educate and train their people about protecting children. It is not enough to look back and say Trey Crawford fell through the cracks. We must take action."
Unfortunately, the most recent action in the case was taken today by the Missouri Southern District Court of Appeals which tossed out Sardeson's conviction and sent the case back to Dallas County for a new trial...because prospective jurors were seated according to age instead of at random.
In its opinion, the appellate panel said its job was to determine whether that "jury selection process was a substantial failure to comply" with the law.
"We find that it was and are forced to reverse and remand for a new trial."
The circuit clerk's error in seating the jury was not discovered until after the trial, according to the opinion, even though Ms. Black had told the judge it appeared the prospective jurors were seated according to age.
"The clerk assured the trial court that the jury panel was not seated by age, that it was indeed a random selection. Admirably, the prosecuting attorney pressed the issue a second time because she was 'afraid that the court of appeals is going to look at this and say any idiot would have seen that they were seated from oldest to youngest" prior to trial, but was again assured that the jury panel was randomly seated." So the trial started. The defense attorney did not know until after the trial when it was discovered that the jury panel was indeed seated by age, thanks to the computerized list used by the circuit clerk.
The lawyers had already exercised their challenges to potential jurors well before the pool got anywhere near jurors who were close to Sardeson's 22 years. The jury panel that was seated ranged from 44 to 72 years old, according to the opinion.
"Such a practice defeats the very purpose of the jury selection process," the opinion said. "A system has been established by statute that provides, insofar as is practical, for a random selection of jurors from a cross-section of the community and from various locations in the county."
McBride indicted on arson charge
Webb City businessman Keith McBride, 51, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield on an arson charge today, according to U. S. Attorney Todd P. Graves.
McBride was the owner of the Coin-Op business, 302 W. 4th Street, Webb City, which he allegedly burned to the ground April 14, the same morning he also allegedly burned his home in Duenweg to the ground.
According to the affidavit filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, several firefighters were injured while working to extinguish the fire and had to be transported to a local hospital and treated for burns and other injuries.
McBride was arrested later in the day following a stand-off at a warehouse that lasted for several hours. According to the affidavit, McBride had a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol and threatened to kill himself. He claims he did not do so because the gun failed to work. Eventually, the police used tear gas and McBride surrendered.
The indictment was filed after McBride underwent a psychiatric examination in Springfield.
McBride was the owner of the Coin-Op business, 302 W. 4th Street, Webb City, which he allegedly burned to the ground April 14, the same morning he also allegedly burned his home in Duenweg to the ground.
According to the affidavit filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, several firefighters were injured while working to extinguish the fire and had to be transported to a local hospital and treated for burns and other injuries.
McBride was arrested later in the day following a stand-off at a warehouse that lasted for several hours. According to the affidavit, McBride had a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol and threatened to kill himself. He claims he did not do so because the gun failed to work. Eventually, the police used tear gas and McBride surrendered.
The indictment was filed after McBride underwent a psychiatric examination in Springfield.
News-Leader investigates lobbyists' influence
The influence of lobbyists on southwest Missouri legislators is explored in an article in today's Springfield News-Leader. As you might expect, first and foremost among those profiled is Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin. And for the first time, a media outlet other than The Turner Report makes note of gifts Hunter has received from casino lobbyists.
The only fault I can find with the article is that it does not get into one of the more insidious ways that lobbyists can give gifts that are not put on the disclosure forms that are filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. All they have to do is to make campaign contributions to the legislators, where their lobbyist jobs are usually disguised as something else, a practice I have been detailing on this blog for the past several months.
The article also notes that the legislators do receive expense money which is designed to cover the cost of meals.
You can find the article at:
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050817/NEWS01/508170354/1095
The only fault I can find with the article is that it does not get into one of the more insidious ways that lobbyists can give gifts that are not put on the disclosure forms that are filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. All they have to do is to make campaign contributions to the legislators, where their lobbyist jobs are usually disguised as something else, a practice I have been detailing on this blog for the past several months.
The article also notes that the legislators do receive expense money which is designed to cover the cost of meals.
You can find the article at:
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050817/NEWS01/508170354/1095
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Charles Nodler gives version of theater incident
In the Wednesday Joplin Globe's letters to the editor section, Charles Nodler gives his version of the July 22 confrontation between his brother, Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, and a 20-year-old caregiver at the Northstar Theater in Joplin. Nodler writes:
"I rarely write any opinion letters, I am responding to Max McCoy's recent article that sought my comments. I will give my recollection of this event. My brother (Missouri state Sen. Gary Nodler) and I went to a movie on my day off from work. We arrived just before the start of the movie.
"During the first 10 to 15 minutes of the film, there were continuous noise and distractions from the back of the theater. It was too loud to permit us to hear and enjoy the film. At this point, my brother said, 'Do you want to stay or leave?' I said I wanted to leave because I wasn't able to enjoy the film. There was a woman near the opposite door as we left the theater, my brother said to me that the noise was too loud.
"The young woman said, 'You should have either more compassion or consideration for these people.'
"My brother then said, 'Excuse me? It has nothing to do with compassion. The noise was preventing other people from being able to watch the film.'
"During this short exchange, the young woman used profanity, at which point we left. When we got to the lobby, a group of other patrons from the same film were asking for refunds. My brother confirmed to the manager that there was noise in the theater and that one person was using foul language. The manager asked him to point this person out. We did, and the manager then said he would monitor the film and if any more distractions occurred, the group would have to leave.
"When we exchanged our tickets, the cashier said that she had exchanged several for this movie. I was never contacted by anyone since the event happened to ask my recollections, even though I was the only witness to the entire event."
"I rarely write any opinion letters, I am responding to Max McCoy's recent article that sought my comments. I will give my recollection of this event. My brother (Missouri state Sen. Gary Nodler) and I went to a movie on my day off from work. We arrived just before the start of the movie.
"During the first 10 to 15 minutes of the film, there were continuous noise and distractions from the back of the theater. It was too loud to permit us to hear and enjoy the film. At this point, my brother said, 'Do you want to stay or leave?' I said I wanted to leave because I wasn't able to enjoy the film. There was a woman near the opposite door as we left the theater, my brother said to me that the noise was too loud.
"The young woman said, 'You should have either more compassion or consideration for these people.'
"My brother then said, 'Excuse me? It has nothing to do with compassion. The noise was preventing other people from being able to watch the film.'
"During this short exchange, the young woman used profanity, at which point we left. When we got to the lobby, a group of other patrons from the same film were asking for refunds. My brother confirmed to the manager that there was noise in the theater and that one person was using foul language. The manager asked him to point this person out. We did, and the manager then said he would monitor the film and if any more distractions occurred, the group would have to leave.
"When we exchanged our tickets, the cashier said that she had exchanged several for this movie. I was never contacted by anyone since the event happened to ask my recollections, even though I was the only witness to the entire event."
Judge Dorr kicks Lindstedt lawsuit again
Accused child molester Martin Lindstedt lost again in federal court today.
For the umpteenth time, U. S. District Court Judge Richard Dorr said no to Lindstedt's lawsuit against Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. Lindstedt's motion for reconsideration "raises no new arguments or legal theories which have not been or could not have been raised at an earlier time," Dorr wrote. "Moreover, the motion does not introduce new evidence."
Dorr was far kinder considering the waste of time and money Lindstedt has been to the taxpayers. The perennial candidate, who has run for every office from U. S. Senator to dogcatcher, is currently staying in the Newton County Jail awaiting trial on felony statutory sodomy charges. Newton County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Selby also slapped him with 660 days in jail for contempt of court.
All through this, the avowed racist and alleged minister has continued his quixotic lawsuit against Blunt, whom he claims wrongfully kept him from using his nickname Martin "Mad Dog" Lindstedt on the ballot when he ran for the Republican nomination for governor in 2004. Blunt was Missouri secretary of state and was also running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination at the time. Lindstedt also said Blunt violated his rights when he refused to put a link to Lindstedt's garbage-filled website (a site which features one hateful, racist comment after another) on the Missouri secretary of state's website.
When he initially filed his lawsuit, Lindstedt asked that Blunt be forced to use the nickname Matt "Runt" Blunt on the November 2004 ballot. For some reason, the judge did not go along with this idea.
After Lindstedt's initial lawsuit was tossed out, he has tried multiple times to get the judge to overturn the decision, but he has not been exactly the sole of discretion in his efforts nor has he remained peaceful during his all-expenses paid stay in Newton County facilities.
In a letter last month to Neosho Forums, www.neoshoforums.com, Lindstedt said the actions taken against him by Newton County officials have made the county "a prime target for biological warfare."He also says, ".Â… "I don't build bombs. I build bombers. Not just one or two bombers. And not armed with just one little truck bomb. I build bombers who know how to make their own biological weaponry and who do not get caught."
For the umpteenth time, U. S. District Court Judge Richard Dorr said no to Lindstedt's lawsuit against Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. Lindstedt's motion for reconsideration "raises no new arguments or legal theories which have not been or could not have been raised at an earlier time," Dorr wrote. "Moreover, the motion does not introduce new evidence."
Dorr was far kinder considering the waste of time and money Lindstedt has been to the taxpayers. The perennial candidate, who has run for every office from U. S. Senator to dogcatcher, is currently staying in the Newton County Jail awaiting trial on felony statutory sodomy charges. Newton County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Selby also slapped him with 660 days in jail for contempt of court.
All through this, the avowed racist and alleged minister has continued his quixotic lawsuit against Blunt, whom he claims wrongfully kept him from using his nickname Martin "Mad Dog" Lindstedt on the ballot when he ran for the Republican nomination for governor in 2004. Blunt was Missouri secretary of state and was also running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination at the time. Lindstedt also said Blunt violated his rights when he refused to put a link to Lindstedt's garbage-filled website (a site which features one hateful, racist comment after another) on the Missouri secretary of state's website.
When he initially filed his lawsuit, Lindstedt asked that Blunt be forced to use the nickname Matt "Runt" Blunt on the November 2004 ballot. For some reason, the judge did not go along with this idea.
After Lindstedt's initial lawsuit was tossed out, he has tried multiple times to get the judge to overturn the decision, but he has not been exactly the sole of discretion in his efforts nor has he remained peaceful during his all-expenses paid stay in Newton County facilities.
In a letter last month to Neosho Forums, www.neoshoforums.com, Lindstedt said the actions taken against him by Newton County officials have made the county "a prime target for biological warfare."He also says, ".Â… "I don't build bombs. I build bombers. Not just one or two bombers. And not armed with just one little truck bomb. I build bombers who know how to make their own biological weaponry and who do not get caught."
Nevada school district responds to lawsuit
In a response filed earlier today, Nevada R-5 School District officials denied they wrongfully fired teacher Lisa Hubler and just about everything else she claimed in her lawsuit filed last month in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
The school officials denied they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating against her because she suffers from depression.
According to Ms. Hubler's lawsuit, she was hired by R-5 Superintendent Ted Davis on April 14, 2000. to teach first grade students in the district's Reading Recovery program. Previously, she taught fourth grade for 10 years in the North Kansas City School District.
From Oct. 9 to Oct. 20, 2000, the lawsuit said, Ms. Hubler was given two weeks of paid sick leave to deal with the onset of depression symptoms. The school offered her a reduced work schedule for three weeks after her leave, then she returned to working full time.
On Feb. 20, 2001, the lawsuit said, the principal, Debbie Spaur, and director of special services Geraldine Johnson "confronted plaintiff with allegations that she had abused her sick leave in October of 2000." Ms. Hubler was told that her trainer from Southeast Missouri State University Carrie Kleinsorge had reported that Ms. Hubler was not doing well in the reading recovery program. "Plaintiff was told that there was concern about her medical condition and her ability to do the job.
"At the end of that meeting, Ms. Hubler was told she needed to decide whether she wanted to continue at Bryan Elementary. "The implication was clear that Principal Spaur and Director Johnson wanted her to resign. She asked if she was being told to quit." She was told it was up to her and that if she stayed job target goals would be set for her.
The next day, Ms. Hudler called Ms. Kleinsorge who told her that she was doing fine and expressed surprise about what the school officials said.
Ms. Hudler then spoke with the superintendent who told her her absences had "hurt her chances for a contract renewal.
"The principal had also told Ms. Hudler there had been a parent complaint about her, according to the lawsuit. After talking with the parent, she said, it became apparent that was not the case.
On March 2, 2001, Ms. Hudler's psychologist prepared a request for medical leave for the rest of the school year. Ms. Hudler's husband told school officials she could return to work with proper accommodations and that she could not work due to the hostile work relations with the principal and Ms. Kleinsorge.
On April 12, 2001, Ms. Hudler received a letter telling her her contract would not be renewed.Ms. Hudler claims that she was discriminated against because of her disability and that her civil rights were violated. She is asking for lost income, benefits, interest, and costs.
The school officials denied they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating against her because she suffers from depression.
According to Ms. Hubler's lawsuit, she was hired by R-5 Superintendent Ted Davis on April 14, 2000. to teach first grade students in the district's Reading Recovery program. Previously, she taught fourth grade for 10 years in the North Kansas City School District.
From Oct. 9 to Oct. 20, 2000, the lawsuit said, Ms. Hubler was given two weeks of paid sick leave to deal with the onset of depression symptoms. The school offered her a reduced work schedule for three weeks after her leave, then she returned to working full time.
On Feb. 20, 2001, the lawsuit said, the principal, Debbie Spaur, and director of special services Geraldine Johnson "confronted plaintiff with allegations that she had abused her sick leave in October of 2000." Ms. Hubler was told that her trainer from Southeast Missouri State University Carrie Kleinsorge had reported that Ms. Hubler was not doing well in the reading recovery program. "Plaintiff was told that there was concern about her medical condition and her ability to do the job.
"At the end of that meeting, Ms. Hubler was told she needed to decide whether she wanted to continue at Bryan Elementary. "The implication was clear that Principal Spaur and Director Johnson wanted her to resign. She asked if she was being told to quit." She was told it was up to her and that if she stayed job target goals would be set for her.
The next day, Ms. Hudler called Ms. Kleinsorge who told her that she was doing fine and expressed surprise about what the school officials said.
Ms. Hudler then spoke with the superintendent who told her her absences had "hurt her chances for a contract renewal.
"The principal had also told Ms. Hudler there had been a parent complaint about her, according to the lawsuit. After talking with the parent, she said, it became apparent that was not the case.
On March 2, 2001, Ms. Hudler's psychologist prepared a request for medical leave for the rest of the school year. Ms. Hudler's husband told school officials she could return to work with proper accommodations and that she could not work due to the hostile work relations with the principal and Ms. Kleinsorge.
On April 12, 2001, Ms. Hudler received a letter telling her her contract would not be renewed.Ms. Hudler claims that she was discriminated against because of her disability and that her civil rights were violated. She is asking for lost income, benefits, interest, and costs.
Tire jack killing trial moved to Cedar County
The first degree murder trial of Jim Edward Ryan, 42, Lamar, charged with the May 25 tire iron slaying of his brother-in-law Jim John Kullie in Lamar Heights, will be moved to Cedar County. The decision was made during a hearing before Judge James Bickel Monday in Barton County Circuit Court.
The trial has been scheduled for March 14-17, 2006.
The trial has been scheduled for March 14-17, 2006.
What's new? Second quarter profits up at Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart reported a 5.8 percent increase in second quarter profit, according to Arkansas Business News. Net income was $2.8 billion, compared to $2.7 billion during the second quarter last year.
The company disappointed analysts by anticipating lower-than-expected earnings during the third quarter, the article said.
The company disappointed analysts by anticipating lower-than-expected earnings during the third quarter, the article said.
Monday, August 15, 2005
WTI expanding Joplin facility
Today's Wichita Business Journal reported the expansion of Wichita Technical Institute's Joplin campus. WTI officials announced the 3,000 foot expansion which gives the campus room for a new lab and more classroom space, the article said.
The expansion enables WTI to begin a new 60-week medical assistant program beginning Oct. 17, according to the article.
The expansion is one of several in the works for WTI, including a new $1 million campus in Wichita and an expansion of its Topeka branch, according to the article.
The expansion enables WTI to begin a new 60-week medical assistant program beginning Oct. 17, according to the article.
The expansion is one of several in the works for WTI, including a new $1 million campus in Wichita and an expansion of its Topeka branch, according to the article.
Democrats eye Nodler spot
It is still 16 months before the election, but it's not just area Democrats who are considering a challenge to volcanic Sen. Gary Nodler.
State Democratic officials believe Nodler's Northstar meltdown may create an opening for a Democrat to win in this heavily Republican area and they are actively searching for someone to run against him. What this means is that the state Democratic party may actually spend some money in this corner of the state for a change (or as the skeptic in me would say, Nodler and his special interest backing will face some Democrat with a different group of special interest backers).
State Democratic officials believe Nodler's Northstar meltdown may create an opening for a Democrat to win in this heavily Republican area and they are actively searching for someone to run against him. What this means is that the state Democratic party may actually spend some money in this corner of the state for a change (or as the skeptic in me would say, Nodler and his special interest backing will face some Democrat with a different group of special interest backers).
Neosho Daily publisher comments on Nodler situation
Neosho Daily News Publisher Rick Rogers's column featured a few paragraphs about Gary Nodler's theater meltdown:
"Boy, I bet Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, wishes he decided to do a little work Friday afternoon instead of seeing a matinee at the theater.
Nodler is taking a lot of heat in the media and on Web sites concerning his argument with an aide for developmentally disabled adults at a showing of the "Fantastic Four" at Joplin's Northstar 14 theater. Nodler and his brother walked out of the theater, complaining about the noise, which the aide found offensive to her group. Then word leaked that Nodler, along with other state lawmakers, receive free passes to movies from the United Motion Picture Association. In these days when cuts in the budget have severely hurt state programs -- like developmentally disabled support groups -- one would think Sen. Nodler would be a little more understanding toward this group of constituents, especially when that group of moviegoers actually paid to get into the theater."
"Boy, I bet Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, wishes he decided to do a little work Friday afternoon instead of seeing a matinee at the theater.
Nodler is taking a lot of heat in the media and on Web sites concerning his argument with an aide for developmentally disabled adults at a showing of the "Fantastic Four" at Joplin's Northstar 14 theater. Nodler and his brother walked out of the theater, complaining about the noise, which the aide found offensive to her group. Then word leaked that Nodler, along with other state lawmakers, receive free passes to movies from the United Motion Picture Association. In these days when cuts in the budget have severely hurt state programs -- like developmentally disabled support groups -- one would think Sen. Nodler would be a little more understanding toward this group of constituents, especially when that group of moviegoers actually paid to get into the theater."
Motion to dismiss lawsuit against priest, church, denied
A motion to dismiss Glenna McKitterick's wrongful dismissal/sexual harassment lawsuit against Father Phillip Bucher, Bishop John J. Liebrecht, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Ozarks Catholic Church was denied, according to an order filed today in federal court.
The decision came on a technicality since the motion to dismiss was for Ms. McKitterick's original complaint and she has since filed an amended complaint in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
More information about the lawsuit can be found at:http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/priest-responds-to-mckitterick-lawsuit.html
The decision came on a technicality since the motion to dismiss was for Ms. McKitterick's original complaint and she has since filed an amended complaint in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
More information about the lawsuit can be found at:http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/priest-responds-to-mckitterick-lawsuit.html
O'Sullivan Industries buys time with agreement
The bill collectors are still pounding on the doors but O'Sullivan Industries officials have managed to get them to agree to hold off while they restructure their business.
In a news release issued today and filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, O'Sullivan's million-dollar CEO Bob Parker says the company has entered into a forebearance agreement with the controlling holders of its 10.63 percent senior secured notes due 2008.
As you recall, O'Sullivan announced last month it was not going to be able to make the payment on the debt. The new agreement will give the company until Sept. 15 to get its act together, though extensions may be granted with the approval of both sides.
"We will continue to negotiate the terms of a financial restructuring with our noteholders and others during the time afforded us by the forbearance agreement, and we expect to maintain normal operations throughout the financial restructuring process," Parker said. "We will continue to provide our customers with the same high-quality products and superior customer service without any interruption, and will continue to act responsibly toward our employees and vendors."
Parker did not mention whether he considered the firing of long-time faithful employees and the recent layoff of 144 workers to be acting responsibly.
If O'Sullivan Industries fails to pay the interest on its notes within this grace period, it will constitute a default under its credit agreement of 2003, according to the news release.
O'Sullivan officials are working to amend the credit agreement, the news release said.
The company has hired Lazard Freres & Co LLC, an international firm with extensive experience in restructuring troubled companies to serve as its financial advisor and Dechert LLP to serve as its legal advisor.
It should be interesting to read O'Sullivan Industries' next quarterly report to see if this constitutes the usual "everything is going according to plan."
In a news release issued today and filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, O'Sullivan's million-dollar CEO Bob Parker says the company has entered into a forebearance agreement with the controlling holders of its 10.63 percent senior secured notes due 2008.
As you recall, O'Sullivan announced last month it was not going to be able to make the payment on the debt. The new agreement will give the company until Sept. 15 to get its act together, though extensions may be granted with the approval of both sides.
"We will continue to negotiate the terms of a financial restructuring with our noteholders and others during the time afforded us by the forbearance agreement, and we expect to maintain normal operations throughout the financial restructuring process," Parker said. "We will continue to provide our customers with the same high-quality products and superior customer service without any interruption, and will continue to act responsibly toward our employees and vendors."
Parker did not mention whether he considered the firing of long-time faithful employees and the recent layoff of 144 workers to be acting responsibly.
If O'Sullivan Industries fails to pay the interest on its notes within this grace period, it will constitute a default under its credit agreement of 2003, according to the news release.
O'Sullivan officials are working to amend the credit agreement, the news release said.
The company has hired Lazard Freres & Co LLC, an international firm with extensive experience in restructuring troubled companies to serve as its financial advisor and Dechert LLP to serve as its legal advisor.
It should be interesting to read O'Sullivan Industries' next quarterly report to see if this constitutes the usual "everything is going according to plan."
Another adventure begins today
School starts today in the Joplin R-8 School District and as regular readers of this blog know, I am ready.
This is my third year teaching eighth grade communication arts (English) at South Middle School, and my seventh year of teaching. Teachers' meetings began Thursday with a huge pep rally for all district personnel at the high school auditorium, followed by departmental meetings, and then meetings at our schools. On Friday, we had more meetings and spent time working on our rooms, fine-tuning lesson plans, etc.
Today, we find out just how successfully we prepared.
***
Natural Disaster, the 50s-60s rock group I perform with, played at a benefit at the Pulaskifield Catholic Church near Pierce City Saturday night. Someone asked if we knew "Proud Mary." I said, "I dated her in high school. She wasn't proud back then."
I need some new material.
This is my third year teaching eighth grade communication arts (English) at South Middle School, and my seventh year of teaching. Teachers' meetings began Thursday with a huge pep rally for all district personnel at the high school auditorium, followed by departmental meetings, and then meetings at our schools. On Friday, we had more meetings and spent time working on our rooms, fine-tuning lesson plans, etc.
Today, we find out just how successfully we prepared.
***
Natural Disaster, the 50s-60s rock group I perform with, played at a benefit at the Pulaskifield Catholic Church near Pierce City Saturday night. Someone asked if we knew "Proud Mary." I said, "I dated her in high school. She wasn't proud back then."
I need some new material.
Hall profiled in Claremore newspaper
Author and minor league baseball expert John Hall, a Carthage native, was profiled over the weekend in the Claremore, Okla. Progress.
Hall is the author of three books, with the most recent being "Mickey Mantle: Before the Glory." You can find the article at:
http://www.claremoreprogress.com/archive/article21387
Hall is the author of three books, with the most recent being "Mickey Mantle: Before the Glory." You can find the article at:
http://www.claremoreprogress.com/archive/article21387
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Response given to Washington Post's Branson story
One week ago, The Washington Post ran a feature which started out as an examination of the city of Branson's efforts to attract a more upscale tourist. The article quickly degenerated into one stereotype after another about rednecks, Bush supporters, and all of the other people who, according to the Post writer, make up the entire population of Branson.
David Rust of Kirbyville came across my blog, looked up the Post article and fired off a response to the newspaper, a copy of which he e-mailed to me"
Dear Editor:
I found your article about Branson, Missouri in the August 8th issue quite by accident. I am glad I came across it; however, its contents were quite upsetting.
I know you were brought here by the so called bible-toting individuals of which you quote so freely. Let me tell you, this is not the Utopia they would have you believe; there are murders, drugs, Meth Labs, crime of all kinds. In fact this area probably leads the State of Missouri in drug lab raids. Why, because of the low wages, seasonal employment, lack of benefits. People who work for wages here are little more than indentured servants to the privileged. Minimum wages jobs are very plentiful, $6. and $7. an hour job are commonplace. Recently OACAC had a session where the privileged could participate in a day long session and see what it was like to live in poverty. This is the very poverty they help create and perpetuate. Benefits, and health care, no way. It just isn't here.
We Democrats are alive and well in SW Missouri. While it is true we won few seats in recent elections, we can say honestly we didn't have to have John Ashcroft blather in the Pulpit on Sunday to promote our cause.
You make note there are few African Americans here in Branson. A remark like this has no place in our society. You might be interested to know Charley Pride has performed many many times in Branson, and has a very large fan group. A well loved and respected performer. To allude to the fact that Blacks are not here or perhaps are not welcome here is just wrong!
There was a recent article in the Branson papers about the homeless that lived in the woods and under bridges around this area. This is the forgotten element of our society that these bible thumpers neither care about nor want to hear about. They want them kept out of sight, after all visitors might get the wrong idea.
So my friend, come back, talk with some of us that know the area for what it is, and what it once was, and we will open your blinded eyes and remove some of the phony "scriptures" according to St. Peter and show you the real truth about the Branson area.
Sincerely,
David Rust
2151 Deer Lane
Kirbyville, Mo. 65679
While I don't necessarily agree with Mr. Rust on all of his observations, I am happy that someone took on this preconceived notions that The Washington Post dressed up as investigative reporting.
To read The Turner Report's Aug. 8 post on the subject, go to:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/branson-subject-of-washington-post.html That entry also features a link to the original Washington Post article.
***
Dr. Fred Pfister of Branson, author of "The Insider's Guide to Branson and the Ozark Mountains" also wrote to the Post to protest the article. This is what he wrote:
Dear Editor:
It's always interesting to read a piece by outsiders about folks in Branson and the Ozarks. They tend see what they want to see, and they parrot whatever the Chamber of Commerce and town boosters provide them.
Sure, it's great living in the Ozarks, but we have our problems. It's the buckle of the Bible Belt, but not all Christians living here and visiting Branson are of the narrow, unthinking, non-birth control-using, Bush-supporting, Limbaugh-listening, FOX-watching folks Lois Romano portrays.
Lois should have seen the six people recently who walked out of a Branson theatre after a Limbaugh-type, anti-Demoncrat joke. She should visit the Branson kindergarten classes, which have 4 or 5 Hispanics in every one of the 24 classes. And she must have missed the African-Americans in audience and on our stages.
Though we welcome them, our visitors and the attendant growth have caused urban sprawl and environmental problems. The area has low wages and a seasonal labor demand. Get beyond the facade of Branson's theatres and the glitz on The Strip and you can find poverty equal to any urban area or the rural boondocks of any red state. The county has a high rate of child abuse, the highest abortion rate in the state, a high percentage of teen mothers, and more than its share of meth labs in the state infamous for ranking number one in meth lab busts in the nation.
Sure we're proud of being Ozarkers, but we are able to see ourselves for what we really are, warts and all—and not what a provincial East Coast writer who never talked to a real hillbilly and who obviously never got beyond the city limits wants to think we are.
Dr. Fred R. Pfister
David Rust of Kirbyville came across my blog, looked up the Post article and fired off a response to the newspaper, a copy of which he e-mailed to me"
Dear Editor:
I found your article about Branson, Missouri in the August 8th issue quite by accident. I am glad I came across it; however, its contents were quite upsetting.
I know you were brought here by the so called bible-toting individuals of which you quote so freely. Let me tell you, this is not the Utopia they would have you believe; there are murders, drugs, Meth Labs, crime of all kinds. In fact this area probably leads the State of Missouri in drug lab raids. Why, because of the low wages, seasonal employment, lack of benefits. People who work for wages here are little more than indentured servants to the privileged. Minimum wages jobs are very plentiful, $6. and $7. an hour job are commonplace. Recently OACAC had a session where the privileged could participate in a day long session and see what it was like to live in poverty. This is the very poverty they help create and perpetuate. Benefits, and health care, no way. It just isn't here.
We Democrats are alive and well in SW Missouri. While it is true we won few seats in recent elections, we can say honestly we didn't have to have John Ashcroft blather in the Pulpit on Sunday to promote our cause.
You make note there are few African Americans here in Branson. A remark like this has no place in our society. You might be interested to know Charley Pride has performed many many times in Branson, and has a very large fan group. A well loved and respected performer. To allude to the fact that Blacks are not here or perhaps are not welcome here is just wrong!
There was a recent article in the Branson papers about the homeless that lived in the woods and under bridges around this area. This is the forgotten element of our society that these bible thumpers neither care about nor want to hear about. They want them kept out of sight, after all visitors might get the wrong idea.
So my friend, come back, talk with some of us that know the area for what it is, and what it once was, and we will open your blinded eyes and remove some of the phony "scriptures" according to St. Peter and show you the real truth about the Branson area.
Sincerely,
David Rust
2151 Deer Lane
Kirbyville, Mo. 65679
While I don't necessarily agree with Mr. Rust on all of his observations, I am happy that someone took on this preconceived notions that The Washington Post dressed up as investigative reporting.
To read The Turner Report's Aug. 8 post on the subject, go to:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/branson-subject-of-washington-post.html That entry also features a link to the original Washington Post article.
***
Dr. Fred Pfister of Branson, author of "The Insider's Guide to Branson and the Ozark Mountains" also wrote to the Post to protest the article. This is what he wrote:
Dear Editor:
It's always interesting to read a piece by outsiders about folks in Branson and the Ozarks. They tend see what they want to see, and they parrot whatever the Chamber of Commerce and town boosters provide them.
Sure, it's great living in the Ozarks, but we have our problems. It's the buckle of the Bible Belt, but not all Christians living here and visiting Branson are of the narrow, unthinking, non-birth control-using, Bush-supporting, Limbaugh-listening, FOX-watching folks Lois Romano portrays.
Lois should have seen the six people recently who walked out of a Branson theatre after a Limbaugh-type, anti-Demoncrat joke. She should visit the Branson kindergarten classes, which have 4 or 5 Hispanics in every one of the 24 classes. And she must have missed the African-Americans in audience and on our stages.
Though we welcome them, our visitors and the attendant growth have caused urban sprawl and environmental problems. The area has low wages and a seasonal labor demand. Get beyond the facade of Branson's theatres and the glitz on The Strip and you can find poverty equal to any urban area or the rural boondocks of any red state. The county has a high rate of child abuse, the highest abortion rate in the state, a high percentage of teen mothers, and more than its share of meth labs in the state infamous for ranking number one in meth lab busts in the nation.
Sure we're proud of being Ozarkers, but we are able to see ourselves for what we really are, warts and all—and not what a provincial East Coast writer who never talked to a real hillbilly and who obviously never got beyond the city limits wants to think we are.
Dr. Fred R. Pfister
Teachers leaving the profession
Today's Kansas City Star features an interesting article concerning the number of teachers who are leaving the profession.
Some of these are retiring, but according to the article, 36 percent of new teachers are leaving before they have taught for five years. Of course, the people who are most affected by these departures are the students.
Some teachers leave because of the low pay or because they feel they are not receiving any respect from administrators, parents, or pupils. Part of the problem is the mindset behind programs such as No Child Left Behind.
Is it no secret that I am extremely skeptical of this program and not because of any lack of funding or any of the other reasons given by opponents. I felt when this program was first proposed and I still feel that its name is a slap in the face to educators across the United States.
President Bush gave the impression during his initial speeches on the program that "No Child Left Behind" was some dramatic new approach to education. It is not.
I can't think of a single teacher who ever said, "Well, we're going to have to leave some children behind. Mary, we're leaving you behind, and Charles, I'm afraid you missed the boat, too."
The president and his supporters were leaving the impression that teachers and administrators were going blithely about their business, with no concern whatsoever about dropouts or students who were not getting the most out of their education.
I can't remember running into any educators who felt that way, either during my six-plus years as a teacher or in the 22 years in which I covered area schools as a reporter.
So how do we show that we are leaving no child behind? Standardized tests, of course. And the first thing most states have done is to water down their standards so they can meet the requirements of the new law. We have no idea whether education is improving or not.
But there is a bigger problem facing education, a much bigger problem.
For all of the effort that teachers, administrators, and support personnel put in to provide children with the best education possible, there are some things that we have no control over.
-We have no control over students' home lives, more and more of which include broken homes, drug use, alcoholism, and poverty.
-We have many students coming from homes which have few, if any, books, newspapers, or magazines to encourage reading.
-We are in the middle of a turn toward pro-business domestic policies that seem designed to sharply increase the wealth of a few, while cutting the salaries and the benefits, even the jobs, of many.
-We are seeing an undercutting of the public education system by politicians who see private schools as a cureall for everything that ails education in America. If the private schools end up having to abide by the same rules that public schools go by, they will end up having to deal with the same problems the public schools are facing.
As long as education continues to be a cheap political issue for every demagogue on both sides of the aisle, you will continue to have serious problems and you will continue to have people who decide to leave the profession.
"No Child Left Behind" has always been the goal of American educators, long before President Bush's people coined the name. It will always remain our goal.
Some of these are retiring, but according to the article, 36 percent of new teachers are leaving before they have taught for five years. Of course, the people who are most affected by these departures are the students.
Some teachers leave because of the low pay or because they feel they are not receiving any respect from administrators, parents, or pupils. Part of the problem is the mindset behind programs such as No Child Left Behind.
Is it no secret that I am extremely skeptical of this program and not because of any lack of funding or any of the other reasons given by opponents. I felt when this program was first proposed and I still feel that its name is a slap in the face to educators across the United States.
President Bush gave the impression during his initial speeches on the program that "No Child Left Behind" was some dramatic new approach to education. It is not.
I can't think of a single teacher who ever said, "Well, we're going to have to leave some children behind. Mary, we're leaving you behind, and Charles, I'm afraid you missed the boat, too."
The president and his supporters were leaving the impression that teachers and administrators were going blithely about their business, with no concern whatsoever about dropouts or students who were not getting the most out of their education.
I can't remember running into any educators who felt that way, either during my six-plus years as a teacher or in the 22 years in which I covered area schools as a reporter.
So how do we show that we are leaving no child behind? Standardized tests, of course. And the first thing most states have done is to water down their standards so they can meet the requirements of the new law. We have no idea whether education is improving or not.
But there is a bigger problem facing education, a much bigger problem.
For all of the effort that teachers, administrators, and support personnel put in to provide children with the best education possible, there are some things that we have no control over.
-We have no control over students' home lives, more and more of which include broken homes, drug use, alcoholism, and poverty.
-We have many students coming from homes which have few, if any, books, newspapers, or magazines to encourage reading.
-We are in the middle of a turn toward pro-business domestic policies that seem designed to sharply increase the wealth of a few, while cutting the salaries and the benefits, even the jobs, of many.
-We are seeing an undercutting of the public education system by politicians who see private schools as a cureall for everything that ails education in America. If the private schools end up having to abide by the same rules that public schools go by, they will end up having to deal with the same problems the public schools are facing.
As long as education continues to be a cheap political issue for every demagogue on both sides of the aisle, you will continue to have serious problems and you will continue to have people who decide to leave the profession.
"No Child Left Behind" has always been the goal of American educators, long before President Bush's people coined the name. It will always remain our goal.
Clarification on Globe comment: I did not post it
I was a bit surprised as I was glancing at The Joplin Globe's website to see the latest comments concerning Sen. Gary Nodler, his free movie tickets, and his theater meltdown (all of which can be read about in previous postings), to see one of the commenters listed as "Turner Report" and one of the comments from this blog reprinted.
I have no problem with someone using my comments as long as credit is given, but the way it was used in the Globe made it appear that I sent in the comment. I have never posted a comment on the Globe's website.
***
The free ticket story has already drawn 74 comments from Globe readers.
I have no problem with someone using my comments as long as credit is given, but the way it was used in the Globe made it appear that I sent in the comment. I have never posted a comment on the Globe's website.
***
The free ticket story has already drawn 74 comments from Globe readers.
KIX 102.5 continues to top ratings
Zimmer Radio's KIX 102.5 continued its reign as the number one station in Joplin according to the just-released Arbitron ratings for Spring 2005, but the 10-point lead the station had over its nearest competitor has been cut down to size.
The latest survey shows KIX with a 12.8 rating, down from 18.4 in Fall 2004. Just as it did in the Fall 2004 survey, Zimmer had three of the top four stations, with KSYN, 92.5, holding down the number two position, and KXDG "Big Dog" 97.9 ranked fourth, the same as the three stations were ranked in the fall.
The big difference was in the number three slot. In the fall, the biggest success story was KQYX 1560 AM, which ranked third with its news talk format. KQYX nearly fell off the map this time, losing two-thirds of its audience, dropping from a 6.7 rating to 2.3.
The new number three was KKOW-AM 96.9, which jumped to that spot from ninth.
The rest of the rankings:
5. KMOQ 5.8, FFD Holdings
6. KBTN-FM 5.2, FFD Holdings
6. KJML-FM 5.2 FFD Holdings
8. KCAR-FM 3.5, FFD Holdings
8. KJMK-FM, 3.5 Zimmer
8. KMXL-FM 3.5 Ron Peterson
11. KDMO-AM 2.9 Ron Peterson
12. KIGL-FM 2.3 Clear Channel
12. KQYX-AM 2.3 FFD Holdings
12. KWXD-FM 2.3 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
15. KHST-FM 1.2 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
16. KKOW-AM 0.6 American Media Investments
Success stories in this cycle's ratings included:
-KMOQ-FM, 107.1 leapfrogged from 11th to 5th, and from 2.2 to 5.8 with its contemporary hits and pop format.
-KDMO-AM with its adult standards format improved its rating from 1.7 to 2.9
-KIGL-FM improved from 0.6 to 2.3 with a classic rock format
On the other end of the spectrum, the biggest drop was recorded by the top station, KIX 102.5, and it appears most of the listeners who left defected to KKOW-FM.
The latest survey shows KIX with a 12.8 rating, down from 18.4 in Fall 2004. Just as it did in the Fall 2004 survey, Zimmer had three of the top four stations, with KSYN, 92.5, holding down the number two position, and KXDG "Big Dog" 97.9 ranked fourth, the same as the three stations were ranked in the fall.
The big difference was in the number three slot. In the fall, the biggest success story was KQYX 1560 AM, which ranked third with its news talk format. KQYX nearly fell off the map this time, losing two-thirds of its audience, dropping from a 6.7 rating to 2.3.
The new number three was KKOW-AM 96.9, which jumped to that spot from ninth.
The rest of the rankings:
5. KMOQ 5.8, FFD Holdings
6. KBTN-FM 5.2, FFD Holdings
6. KJML-FM 5.2 FFD Holdings
8. KCAR-FM 3.5, FFD Holdings
8. KJMK-FM, 3.5 Zimmer
8. KMXL-FM 3.5 Ron Peterson
11. KDMO-AM 2.9 Ron Peterson
12. KIGL-FM 2.3 Clear Channel
12. KQYX-AM 2.3 FFD Holdings
12. KWXD-FM 2.3 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
15. KHST-FM 1.2 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
16. KKOW-AM 0.6 American Media Investments
Success stories in this cycle's ratings included:
-KMOQ-FM, 107.1 leapfrogged from 11th to 5th, and from 2.2 to 5.8 with its contemporary hits and pop format.
-KDMO-AM with its adult standards format improved its rating from 1.7 to 2.9
-KIGL-FM improved from 0.6 to 2.3 with a classic rock format
On the other end of the spectrum, the biggest drop was recorded by the top station, KIX 102.5, and it appears most of the listeners who left defected to KKOW-FM.
Zimmer buys sixth radio station in Joplin
After years of having four FM stations and no AM stations, Zimmer Radio has suddenly jumped wholeheartedly into AM radio.
Last week, it was announced that Zimmer had purchased 1230 AM, KWAS, from Larry Rice for $300,000. According to Radio and Records, Zimmer now owns 1310 KOCR, formerly KFSB, a 5,000 watt station, from Ozark Christian College for $350,100.
Speculation is that one station will be a sports talk station while the other will opt for a news talk format.
Zimmer already owns three of the four most popular stations in Joplin, FM stations KIX 102.5, KSYN 92.5 and Big Dog 97.9. It owns 17 stations overall.
Last week, it was announced that Zimmer had purchased 1230 AM, KWAS, from Larry Rice for $300,000. According to Radio and Records, Zimmer now owns 1310 KOCR, formerly KFSB, a 5,000 watt station, from Ozark Christian College for $350,100.
Speculation is that one station will be a sports talk station while the other will opt for a news talk format.
Zimmer already owns three of the four most popular stations in Joplin, FM stations KIX 102.5, KSYN 92.5 and Big Dog 97.9. It owns 17 stations overall.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Nodler free movie perk goes nationwide
"Perks of being a legislator in Missouri: a daily expense allowance, special license plates and don't forget the free movies."
That's how Associated Press writer David Lieb began his article on the free movie perk that Missouri legislators, including Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, receive from the United Motion Picture Association.
The article does not mention Sen. Nodler's run-in with the caregiver for the developmentally disabled adults that has become a cause celebre in southwest Missouri these past several days, but it does quote the senator. This is how the article features Nodler:
"I don't know anything about the organization that provides the passes," said GOP Sen. Gary Nodler, a movie buff who studied film history in college. "I've never had any contact or communication with them, I don't believe they lobby at all, and I can't imagine what their issues would be."
Nodler's comment ran in dozens of newspapers nationwide, including Newsday in New York, the Chicago Tribune, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Philadelphia Inquirer and newspapers in other cities, including Macon, Ga., Biloxi, Miss., Grand Forks, N. D., St. Paul, Minn., Columbus, Ga., Seattle, Wash., Bradenton, Fla., Wilkes Barre, Pa., Fort Worth, Texas, Tallahassee, Fla., Louisville, Ky., and Miami, Fla.
That's how Associated Press writer David Lieb began his article on the free movie perk that Missouri legislators, including Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, receive from the United Motion Picture Association.
The article does not mention Sen. Nodler's run-in with the caregiver for the developmentally disabled adults that has become a cause celebre in southwest Missouri these past several days, but it does quote the senator. This is how the article features Nodler:
"I don't know anything about the organization that provides the passes," said GOP Sen. Gary Nodler, a movie buff who studied film history in college. "I've never had any contact or communication with them, I don't believe they lobby at all, and I can't imagine what their issues would be."
Nodler's comment ran in dozens of newspapers nationwide, including Newsday in New York, the Chicago Tribune, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Philadelphia Inquirer and newspapers in other cities, including Macon, Ga., Biloxi, Miss., Grand Forks, N. D., St. Paul, Minn., Columbus, Ga., Seattle, Wash., Bradenton, Fla., Wilkes Barre, Pa., Fort Worth, Texas, Tallahassee, Fla., Louisville, Ky., and Miami, Fla.
News-Leader gives thorn to Nodler
Criticism continues to be heaped on Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin. On today's opinion page of the Springfield News-Leader, in the weekly roses and thorns section, the newspaper's editorial board gives a thorn to Nodler for his behavior since his meltdown at Northstar Theater. Here is what the News-Leader said:
A THORN: To state Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, for making an epic out of a preview. Nodler had a run-in with a group of disabled people at a movie theater's Friday matinee. What happened there is in dispute. What happened afterward is not. Nodler, angered by comments made by the group's caregiver, threw a temper tantrum. He paid for a polygraph test to prove he was telling the truth. He demanded an apology from the group home. He did such a good job of inflaming a minor story that it went statewide. In this epic, Nodler wasn't the hero.
I am willing to bet that thorn was presented before the News-Leader editorial board learned that Nodler got into that movie on a free pass, which he only received because he was an elected official.
A THORN: To state Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, for making an epic out of a preview. Nodler had a run-in with a group of disabled people at a movie theater's Friday matinee. What happened there is in dispute. What happened afterward is not. Nodler, angered by comments made by the group's caregiver, threw a temper tantrum. He paid for a polygraph test to prove he was telling the truth. He demanded an apology from the group home. He did such a good job of inflaming a minor story that it went statewide. In this epic, Nodler wasn't the hero.
I am willing to bet that thorn was presented before the News-Leader editorial board learned that Nodler got into that movie on a free pass, which he only received because he was an elected official.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Childers' actions differ from his words
Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers has said all of the right things when dealing with people who are opposing Moark's expansion of its egg-laying facilities in Neosho, but it appears the former legislator, who was appointed to his post this year by Governor Matt Blunt, is showing the same kind of pro-business slant as the governor.
An Associated Press article today details Childers' plan to make it easier for businesses to get permits from the DNR by cutting down on referrals to the attorney general. He says it is easier to get businesses into compliance with environmental regulations by being nice to them instead of putting the hammer down on them.
The article indicates this approach is not much appreciated either by environmentalists, the attorney general, or in Childers' own department.
You can read the article at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12368032.htm
An Associated Press article today details Childers' plan to make it easier for businesses to get permits from the DNR by cutting down on referrals to the attorney general. He says it is easier to get businesses into compliance with environmental regulations by being nice to them instead of putting the hammer down on them.
The article indicates this approach is not much appreciated either by environmentalists, the attorney general, or in Childers' own department.
You can read the article at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12368032.htm
Nodler case: Some people don't have a clue
As I read the commentary on the Joplin Globe's followup to Ron Davis' scoop on Gary Nodler receiving free movie tickets, including on the day when he had his meltdown with the caregiver for some developmentally disabled adults, I am amazed at some people's lack of understanding about why those free tickets are so important to this story.
Some of the readers said the Globe was making too big of a deal about Nodler getting to see the movie for free as a senatorial perk. These are the same people who thought the seemingly small amount of gifts that our state senators and representatives receive from lobbyists was not worth mentioning in another recent Globe article.
It's the mindset of our legislators that makes this story newsworthy.
Gary Nodler, Steve Hunter, and some of our other elected officials have come to expect these things, which they only receive because they were elected to represent us. These people can afford movie tickets. They can afford to buy their own meals and their own beverages. But once they start getting used to the idea that they are entitled to these things they lose contact with the people who sent them to Jefferson City or to Washington. They aren't meeting every day with people who struggle to have money to get from one paycheck to the next, or pray that they will not get sick because they cannot afford to pay the high premiums for medical insurance.
The people our elected legislators are meeting with are the well-to-do lobbyists representing well-to-do people in businesses and organizations. Those are the ones who have access to the people we elect every single day. We can't afford to take our senator or our Congressmen out to dinner and buy them drinks or take them on an all-expense paid fun trip to a casino or to a ballgame.
And then for Nodler to lose his temper with a 20-year-old caregiver, a college student, and attempt to wield his considerable state power to cause her problems, is an indictment of his character.
He is a public official and public officials cannot throw tantrums in public, especially when it concerns a personal issue. If Gary Nodler had a public argument with someone who was trying to steal money from the taxpayers, or if he lost his temper with someone who moved his factory from Missouri to Asia, there is not a single one of us that wouldn't be standing right behind him.
Unfortunately, this case is not about our senator losing his composure as he fights for southwest Missourians. It's all about Gary Nodler putting Gary Nodler first.
That is why this story is so important.
Some of the readers said the Globe was making too big of a deal about Nodler getting to see the movie for free as a senatorial perk. These are the same people who thought the seemingly small amount of gifts that our state senators and representatives receive from lobbyists was not worth mentioning in another recent Globe article.
It's the mindset of our legislators that makes this story newsworthy.
Gary Nodler, Steve Hunter, and some of our other elected officials have come to expect these things, which they only receive because they were elected to represent us. These people can afford movie tickets. They can afford to buy their own meals and their own beverages. But once they start getting used to the idea that they are entitled to these things they lose contact with the people who sent them to Jefferson City or to Washington. They aren't meeting every day with people who struggle to have money to get from one paycheck to the next, or pray that they will not get sick because they cannot afford to pay the high premiums for medical insurance.
The people our elected legislators are meeting with are the well-to-do lobbyists representing well-to-do people in businesses and organizations. Those are the ones who have access to the people we elect every single day. We can't afford to take our senator or our Congressmen out to dinner and buy them drinks or take them on an all-expense paid fun trip to a casino or to a ballgame.
And then for Nodler to lose his temper with a 20-year-old caregiver, a college student, and attempt to wield his considerable state power to cause her problems, is an indictment of his character.
He is a public official and public officials cannot throw tantrums in public, especially when it concerns a personal issue. If Gary Nodler had a public argument with someone who was trying to steal money from the taxpayers, or if he lost his temper with someone who moved his factory from Missouri to Asia, there is not a single one of us that wouldn't be standing right behind him.
Unfortunately, this case is not about our senator losing his composure as he fights for southwest Missourians. It's all about Gary Nodler putting Gary Nodler first.
That is why this story is so important.
Attorney seeks removal of death penalty from Black retrial
When Gary Black goes on trial for a second time for the murder of former Missouri Southern State College athlete Jason Johnson, he is hoping the most he will face if found guilty is life in prison.
Earlier this month, Black's lawyer, public defender Susan McCarthy Elliott filed a motion in Jasper County Circuit Court to preclude the state from seeking the death penalty. She has also filed a survey conducted in an effort to have Black's trial moved from Jasper County due to prejudicial publicity.
As The Turner Report revealed in July, it appears that Black's defense on his second go-round, which was ordered after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled more effort should have been made to impeach the eyewitnesses who presented the evidence that indicated Black had planned the murder. Ms. Elliott filed discovery motions asking for Mr. Johnson's police record, his MSSC student records, and his employment records. The motions are scheduled to be taken up during a Friday, Aug. 19 hearing.
A Jasper County jury gave Black the death penalty after finding him guilty in the racially-motivated killing of Mr. Johnson. Black's girlfriend said she thought Johnson made a pass at her in a convenience store. Black and his girlfriend were both white, while Johnson was black.You can find a more thorough account of the case in the Aug. 18, 2004, Turner Report at the following link:http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2004/08/it-wasnt-first-time-jason-johnson-had.html
Earlier this month, Black's lawyer, public defender Susan McCarthy Elliott filed a motion in Jasper County Circuit Court to preclude the state from seeking the death penalty. She has also filed a survey conducted in an effort to have Black's trial moved from Jasper County due to prejudicial publicity.
As The Turner Report revealed in July, it appears that Black's defense on his second go-round, which was ordered after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled more effort should have been made to impeach the eyewitnesses who presented the evidence that indicated Black had planned the murder. Ms. Elliott filed discovery motions asking for Mr. Johnson's police record, his MSSC student records, and his employment records. The motions are scheduled to be taken up during a Friday, Aug. 19 hearing.
A Jasper County jury gave Black the death penalty after finding him guilty in the racially-motivated killing of Mr. Johnson. Black's girlfriend said she thought Johnson made a pass at her in a convenience store. Black and his girlfriend were both white, while Johnson was black.You can find a more thorough account of the case in the Aug. 18, 2004, Turner Report at the following link:http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2004/08/it-wasnt-first-time-jason-johnson-had.html
McLean to be tried as prior offender
When Brandie McLean goes to trial on forgery and endangering the welfare of a child charges next month, she will be tried as a prior offender, according to Jasper County Circuit Court documents. No further specifications were given in the files available on case.net
The child welfare charges came after she allowed her two-year-old on the roof of her Webb City home. After her children were taken away from her, her eight-year-old son Braxton Wooden was shot to death by his foster parents' son.
Ms. McLean initially pleaded guilty to the charges, but was allowed to withdraw her plea after she learned that she would most likely not be able to get her children back if she pleaded guilty.
Her trial is scheduled for Sept. 12.
The child welfare charges came after she allowed her two-year-old on the roof of her Webb City home. After her children were taken away from her, her eight-year-old son Braxton Wooden was shot to death by his foster parents' son.
Ms. McLean initially pleaded guilty to the charges, but was allowed to withdraw her plea after she learned that she would most likely not be able to get her children back if she pleaded guilty.
Her trial is scheduled for Sept. 12.
Nexstar expenses cut, red ink bath continues
Nexstar Broadcasting's quarterly report indicates a steep drop in income, and cuts at local stations. Unfortunately for CEO Perry Sook and his company, those cuts were offset by expenses at newly acquired stations, according to a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Nexstar, owner of KSNF in Joplin and KSFX in Springfield, and de facto owner of KODE in Joplin and KOLR in Springfield, diligently went about the "termination of non-strategic contractual commitments," including the Nielsen rating service and Associated Press. Of course, they also cut personnel. Those cuts enabled the highly-leveraged company to save $1.1 million. Unfortunately, that decrease was more than offset by a $2.1 million increase due to new acquisitions.
Operating income was $8.8 million for the six months ended June 30, compared to $14.4 million for the same period in 2004, a decrease of $5.6 million, or 38.8 percent.
In the filing, company officials continue to insist they will not be affected much by the current battle over retransmission rights has removed Nexstar stations from Cable One in Joplin, Independence, and Miami, as well as from Cable One and Cox in communities in Texas and Louisiana.
Nexstar, owner of KSNF in Joplin and KSFX in Springfield, and de facto owner of KODE in Joplin and KOLR in Springfield, diligently went about the "termination of non-strategic contractual commitments," including the Nielsen rating service and Associated Press. Of course, they also cut personnel. Those cuts enabled the highly-leveraged company to save $1.1 million. Unfortunately, that decrease was more than offset by a $2.1 million increase due to new acquisitions.
Operating income was $8.8 million for the six months ended June 30, compared to $14.4 million for the same period in 2004, a decrease of $5.6 million, or 38.8 percent.
In the filing, company officials continue to insist they will not be affected much by the current battle over retransmission rights has removed Nexstar stations from Cable One in Joplin, Independence, and Miami, as well as from Cable One and Cox in communities in Texas and Louisiana.
Cox Communications revenues up $1.8 billion
Revenues for Cox Communications for the second quarter were $1.8 billion, an increase of 11 percent over last year, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company attributed the increase to "growth in advanced-service subscriptions (which include digital cable, high-speed Internet access and telephony) and higher basic cable rates."
Operating income increased 7 percent to $228.9 million for the second quarter, and operating cash flow increased 12 percent to $692.1 million, compared to the same period in 2004.
The company attributed the increase to "growth in advanced-service subscriptions (which include digital cable, high-speed Internet access and telephony) and higher basic cable rates."
Operating income increased 7 percent to $228.9 million for the second quarter, and operating cash flow increased 12 percent to $692.1 million, compared to the same period in 2004.
Joplin Fox affiliate lifts Saga to bigger profits
Saga Communications, owners of KOAM and KFJX in the Joplin market, had a five percent increase in net operating revenue during the second quarter, according to a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Revenue was up to $3,949,000, compared to $3,765,000 during the same period in 2004.
"The majority of the improvement in net operating revenue was attributable to the Fox affiliate in Joplin, Missouri that went on the air in October 2003," the filing said.
Station operating expense in Saga's television division increased by $76,000 or 2 percent to $3,340,000 for the three months ended June 30, compared with $3,264,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2004.
Operating income for Saga's TV division during the three months ended June 30 was $609,000 compared to $501,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2004, an increase of approximately $108,000 or 22 percent.
Revenue was up to $3,949,000, compared to $3,765,000 during the same period in 2004.
"The majority of the improvement in net operating revenue was attributable to the Fox affiliate in Joplin, Missouri that went on the air in October 2003," the filing said.
Station operating expense in Saga's television division increased by $76,000 or 2 percent to $3,340,000 for the three months ended June 30, compared with $3,264,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2004.
Operating income for Saga's TV division during the three months ended June 30 was $609,000 compared to $501,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2004, an increase of approximately $108,000 or 22 percent.
Net income down at Graham Packaging
Net income for the second quarter was down at Graham Packaging, owners of the former Tetra Pak plant in Joplin. Net income for was at $4.1 million compared to $16 million during the same period in 2004, according to a filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Gross profit increased $23.2 million to $78.3 million, the filing said, with the credit given to Graham's purchase of O-I Plastic, but that purchase also increased administrative expenses from $16.1 million to $32.1.
Gross profit increased $23.2 million to $78.3 million, the filing said, with the credit given to Graham's purchase of O-I Plastic, but that purchase also increased administrative expenses from $16.1 million to $32.1.
Neosho acquisition helps Jarden bottom line
Acquisitions during the first six months of 2005, including AHI, owner of the Sunbeam plant in Neosho, helped Jarden to a 104 percent increase in net income during the second quarter, according to a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Jarden's net income for the quarter was $32.8 million, up from 23.5 million during the same quarter the previous year.
Our net income for the second quarter ended June 30, 2005 was $32.8 million, a 104% increase
Jarden's net income for the quarter was $32.8 million, up from 23.5 million during the same quarter the previous year.
Our net income for the second quarter ended June 30, 2005 was $32.8 million, a 104% increase
Richard to appear on KGCS
State Representative Ron Richard will discuss the economic development bill, the Missouri Quality Jobs Act, and tourism in the state when he appears on Missouri Southern's television station KGCS 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17.
The program can be seen locally on UHF channel 57, Cable One channel 7, and Mediacom Channel 77.
The program can be seen locally on UHF channel 57, Cable One channel 7, and Mediacom Channel 77.
Clark headed for Little Rock
Today is KOAM reporter Jerod Clark's last day.
According to the announcement made Thursday on The Morning Show, where Clark was substituting for Sarah Pierik, Clark is headed for KTHV, the CBS affiliate in Little Rock, Ark.
According to the announcement made Thursday on The Morning Show, where Clark was substituting for Sarah Pierik, Clark is headed for KTHV, the CBS affiliate in Little Rock, Ark.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
In his behalf, Nodler didn't request refund
As you remember, Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin left a comment on The Turner Report earlier this week and he has left a comment on The Joplin Globe's website, concerning his meltdown after an incident in which he was offended by noise made by developmentally disabled adults attending the movie "Fantastic Four," and got into an argument with their caregiver. You can find more information about this on earlier Turner Report posts.
This story appears to be on the verge of receiving more comments from the Globe readers than the story about the police officers handcuffing the 11-year-old boy.
Since this is a public official's comment, I will print it in its entirety:
Gary Nodler writes: "There are several inaccuracies in Max McCoy’s recent article about the incident at Northstar Cinema. McCoy failed to report that when we were leaving the theater after a brief encounter with this young woman that lasted only a few seconds, we found the theater manager at the ticket taker’s stand surrounded by a large group requesting refunds. We confirmed to the theater manager that the noise was too loud to hear the film. I never “fetched the manager” anywhere. I told him that one person was using foul language and he asked me to point that person out. After doing so I left the theater. I also never contacted the employer about this incident until after the news media called me telling me that this employee had made these false allegations about my conduct. I then contacted the employer and requested an apology from them because of the false allegations to the press, not because of her misconduct at the theater. I have never asked anyone to have any disabled person removed from a theater, and I have never asked this young woman’s employer to fire her. I did request an apology for the attempt to circulate lies to the news media and public and expect to receive it. I took the polygraph exam because reporters persisted in demanding that I answer them about things that never occurred. The questions on the exam were formulated by the examiner not by me and Skills Unlimited reviewed the questions before they were used. Skills Unlimited was invited to have the young woman also participate in reviewing the questions. The employee refused the test and the chance to review the questions before she took the exam. All of these facts were known to Mr. McCoy when he wrote his story."
It should be pointed out in his behalf that Sen. Nodler was not among the customers who asked the theater manager for a refund. Maybe next time instead of accepting the freebies that the theaters give to state senators, he will pay his money, so he can demand that it be returned.
However, I did hear one thing said with which I totally agree. "You need someone to take care of that kind of people when they are out in public." Darned right. It may be politically incorrect for me to say this, but it is embarrassing when they behave like that. This should never be allowed to happen again.
It's time we had a caregiver for state senators.
This story appears to be on the verge of receiving more comments from the Globe readers than the story about the police officers handcuffing the 11-year-old boy.
Since this is a public official's comment, I will print it in its entirety:
Gary Nodler writes: "There are several inaccuracies in Max McCoy’s recent article about the incident at Northstar Cinema. McCoy failed to report that when we were leaving the theater after a brief encounter with this young woman that lasted only a few seconds, we found the theater manager at the ticket taker’s stand surrounded by a large group requesting refunds. We confirmed to the theater manager that the noise was too loud to hear the film. I never “fetched the manager” anywhere. I told him that one person was using foul language and he asked me to point that person out. After doing so I left the theater. I also never contacted the employer about this incident until after the news media called me telling me that this employee had made these false allegations about my conduct. I then contacted the employer and requested an apology from them because of the false allegations to the press, not because of her misconduct at the theater. I have never asked anyone to have any disabled person removed from a theater, and I have never asked this young woman’s employer to fire her. I did request an apology for the attempt to circulate lies to the news media and public and expect to receive it. I took the polygraph exam because reporters persisted in demanding that I answer them about things that never occurred. The questions on the exam were formulated by the examiner not by me and Skills Unlimited reviewed the questions before they were used. Skills Unlimited was invited to have the young woman also participate in reviewing the questions. The employee refused the test and the chance to review the questions before she took the exam. All of these facts were known to Mr. McCoy when he wrote his story."
It should be pointed out in his behalf that Sen. Nodler was not among the customers who asked the theater manager for a refund. Maybe next time instead of accepting the freebies that the theaters give to state senators, he will pay his money, so he can demand that it be returned.
However, I did hear one thing said with which I totally agree. "You need someone to take care of that kind of people when they are out in public." Darned right. It may be politically incorrect for me to say this, but it is embarrassing when they behave like that. This should never be allowed to happen again.
It's time we had a caregiver for state senators.
Mediator assigned for prisoner sexual harassment suit
An impartial mediator has been selected to enter the lawsuit filed against a former Stone County jailer by a former inmate. Michael Blumenthal was sued seven months after he was charged with the felony of having sexual contact with the same intimate.
According to a document filed today in Western District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Springfield lawyer Jim Newberry has been appointed mediator. The first meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at Newberry's office.
According to the woman's petition, in July 2003, Blumenthal:
-Required and demanded she show him her breasts-required and demanded she simulate masturbation and demanded that she "be loud about it."
-required and demanded she stand in the nude at a position where he could see her nude body-required her to allow him to feel between, around and about her breasts-required her to submit to "searches" in which he would require her to stand near while he placed his face about her panties, sniffed her panties, and then pronounced, "she's clean."
-required she cooperate and assist him in his attempts to commit similar abuses against other female inmates.The woman said she submitted to Blumenthal's "sexual harassment, abuse and assault" because she received no help when she reported the conduct. "When plaintiff reported defendant's conduct to other officers," the petition said, "her complaints were turned aside, and she was told, 'You are going to make your time worse here,' 'we don't have time for these lies,' or 'that's not what Officer Blumenthal says.' "
The woman says Blumenthal threatened her by saying, "Give up, put out, or don't get out." She said she took that and other statements made by Blumenthal as threats, such as when he told her "of his prowess and ability with handguns, telling plaintiff that his nickname was 'Shooter' and 'someday' he would teach her 'how to shoot to kill.'When she submitted to his demands, the woman said, she was given extra privileges, including "added telephone calls, soft drinks, candy, additional library cart privileges, scented shampoos, occasional releases from her cell, and, on two occasions, marijuana."The woman is asking for "actual damages in such amount as will be deemed adequate to fairly and reasonably compensate her for all damages sustained; and for an additional judgment for punitive damages in such amount as may be determined" to keep Blumenthal and others from treating prisoners in that manner.
According to a document filed today in Western District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Springfield lawyer Jim Newberry has been appointed mediator. The first meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at Newberry's office.
According to the woman's petition, in July 2003, Blumenthal:
-Required and demanded she show him her breasts-required and demanded she simulate masturbation and demanded that she "be loud about it."
-required and demanded she stand in the nude at a position where he could see her nude body-required her to allow him to feel between, around and about her breasts-required her to submit to "searches" in which he would require her to stand near while he placed his face about her panties, sniffed her panties, and then pronounced, "she's clean."
-required she cooperate and assist him in his attempts to commit similar abuses against other female inmates.The woman said she submitted to Blumenthal's "sexual harassment, abuse and assault" because she received no help when she reported the conduct. "When plaintiff reported defendant's conduct to other officers," the petition said, "her complaints were turned aside, and she was told, 'You are going to make your time worse here,' 'we don't have time for these lies,' or 'that's not what Officer Blumenthal says.' "
The woman says Blumenthal threatened her by saying, "Give up, put out, or don't get out." She said she took that and other statements made by Blumenthal as threats, such as when he told her "of his prowess and ability with handguns, telling plaintiff that his nickname was 'Shooter' and 'someday' he would teach her 'how to shoot to kill.'When she submitted to his demands, the woman said, she was given extra privileges, including "added telephone calls, soft drinks, candy, additional library cart privileges, scented shampoos, occasional releases from her cell, and, on two occasions, marijuana."The woman is asking for "actual damages in such amount as will be deemed adequate to fairly and reasonably compensate her for all damages sustained; and for an additional judgment for punitive damages in such amount as may be determined" to keep Blumenthal and others from treating prisoners in that manner.
Blog reports Nodler didn't pay to see movie
Tickets to see a new movie- $7
Hot, buttery popcorn $2
Soft drink $3
Disturbing a state senator watching a free movie- Priceless
Those three top prices are probably nowhere near correct since it has been a couple of years since I went to a theater, but according to Springfield blogger Ron Davis, once the ace investigative reporter for the Springfield News-Leader, Gary Nodler was taking advantage of a senatorial perk and watching "Fantastic Four" for free when his concentration on the comic book heroes was disturbed by the noise being made by a group of developmentally disabled adults.
Richard Sechrist, manager of Northstar 14 told Davis Nodler's name was on a free pass list for the day he had the run-in with a 20-year-old college student who was serving as a caregiver for the adults. Nodler alleges the young woman used the F word with him (no, not freebie, the other one), while others are alleging that Nodler is trying to do the same word to the girl's job. While ordinary taxpaying citizens like you and me pay full freight to see movies, Nodler has used his pass numerous times over the years, Sechrist told Davis.
State lawmakers are given the freebies and do not have to report them, because the theater owners are not lobbyists trying to influence legislation. Using that criteria, it would be interesting to see how many more gifts and freebies Missouri legislators have accepted because they do not have to report them under state ethics laws.
And since someone else is going to point this out, I might as well do it first. Nodler voted to deprive some of the poorest Missourians of desperately-needed medical care (and then bragged about it), while he was taking advantage of a gift that he received only because many of those same people elected him to office.
There is no truth, however, to the rumor that during another movie Nodler found Bambi's mother's death too intense and nearly asked for his freebie back. Nor is the other rumor true that Nodler after watching the famed Disney movie said, "They should not let that kind of deer in the forest if they don't know how to handle themselves."
You can find the link to Ron Davis' Chatter blog on the links section on the right-hand side of this page.
Hot, buttery popcorn $2
Soft drink $3
Disturbing a state senator watching a free movie- Priceless
Those three top prices are probably nowhere near correct since it has been a couple of years since I went to a theater, but according to Springfield blogger Ron Davis, once the ace investigative reporter for the Springfield News-Leader, Gary Nodler was taking advantage of a senatorial perk and watching "Fantastic Four" for free when his concentration on the comic book heroes was disturbed by the noise being made by a group of developmentally disabled adults.
Richard Sechrist, manager of Northstar 14 told Davis Nodler's name was on a free pass list for the day he had the run-in with a 20-year-old college student who was serving as a caregiver for the adults. Nodler alleges the young woman used the F word with him (no, not freebie, the other one), while others are alleging that Nodler is trying to do the same word to the girl's job. While ordinary taxpaying citizens like you and me pay full freight to see movies, Nodler has used his pass numerous times over the years, Sechrist told Davis.
State lawmakers are given the freebies and do not have to report them, because the theater owners are not lobbyists trying to influence legislation. Using that criteria, it would be interesting to see how many more gifts and freebies Missouri legislators have accepted because they do not have to report them under state ethics laws.
And since someone else is going to point this out, I might as well do it first. Nodler voted to deprive some of the poorest Missourians of desperately-needed medical care (and then bragged about it), while he was taking advantage of a gift that he received only because many of those same people elected him to office.
There is no truth, however, to the rumor that during another movie Nodler found Bambi's mother's death too intense and nearly asked for his freebie back. Nor is the other rumor true that Nodler after watching the famed Disney movie said, "They should not let that kind of deer in the forest if they don't know how to handle themselves."
You can find the link to Ron Davis' Chatter blog on the links section on the right-hand side of this page.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Daily blankets golf coverage
In an earlier post today, I mentioned how The Carthage Press is using feature stories that are related to today's news to improve and broaden news coverage.
Another method that can be used effectively is being used by Rick Rogers at the Neosho Daily News. With its earlier coverage of the Moark controversy and today's investigation into local golf courses, the Daily is making its mark with blanket coverage of important stories.
No story has been more important than Moark's quest to expand its egg-laying facilities and every reporter on the Daily staff contributed articles covering one aspect of the situation or another.
Today's stories on the Neosho Golf Course revealed that the golf course is deeply in the red and the city is pouring money into it that is being taken away from other areas, including road improvements. The city of Joplin is doing even worse with Schifferdecker Golf Course, one of the articles said.
I would love to see an exploration of the ongoing debate on whether small cities should be spending money on athletics and cultural activities. Are these things important enough to attract people to relocate. Are they critical enough to the city that a business might not move here unless there is an airport or a golf course or entertainment?
The Daily's approach to the golf and Moark stories is the right one. There is no way a small newspaper like the Daily can compete head to head on every story with The Joplin Globe. The Daily has about five or six people writing, while the Globe has more than 30 reporters.
So pick your battles. Decide what stories will matter the most to your community and then cover them like no one else can.
Another method that can be used effectively is being used by Rick Rogers at the Neosho Daily News. With its earlier coverage of the Moark controversy and today's investigation into local golf courses, the Daily is making its mark with blanket coverage of important stories.
No story has been more important than Moark's quest to expand its egg-laying facilities and every reporter on the Daily staff contributed articles covering one aspect of the situation or another.
Today's stories on the Neosho Golf Course revealed that the golf course is deeply in the red and the city is pouring money into it that is being taken away from other areas, including road improvements. The city of Joplin is doing even worse with Schifferdecker Golf Course, one of the articles said.
I would love to see an exploration of the ongoing debate on whether small cities should be spending money on athletics and cultural activities. Are these things important enough to attract people to relocate. Are they critical enough to the city that a business might not move here unless there is an airport or a golf course or entertainment?
The Daily's approach to the golf and Moark stories is the right one. There is no way a small newspaper like the Daily can compete head to head on every story with The Joplin Globe. The Daily has about five or six people writing, while the Globe has more than 30 reporters.
So pick your battles. Decide what stories will matter the most to your community and then cover them like no one else can.
Searching for Truman
Maybe my magnifying glass was broken, but my review of Saturday's Lamar Democrat, which was published on the 60-year anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, which hastened the end of World War II, detected no mention of that momentous event...even though the controversial decision to drop the bomb was made by a man who was born in a small two-story house in Lamar on May 8, 1884.
As a reader pointed out, in April the Democrat made no mention of the 60th anniversary of the ascendancy of Harry S Truman to the presidency after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Last year, there was no mention in the local newspaper of the 60th anniversary of one of the most famous dates in Lamar history, the day Senator Truman accepted the vice presidential nomination in front of the Barton County Courthouse.
The lack of coverage extends to coverage of the city's top tourist attraction, The Truman Birthplace. In those days when I was editor of The Democrat, from November 1982 until I left to take the Carthage Press position in March 1990, the Birthplace was a primary beat. We ran visitor statistics, comparisons, features. To run a Lamar newspaper without regular mentions of Harry S Truman is ludicrous.
As a reader pointed out, in April the Democrat made no mention of the 60th anniversary of the ascendancy of Harry S Truman to the presidency after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Last year, there was no mention in the local newspaper of the 60th anniversary of one of the most famous dates in Lamar history, the day Senator Truman accepted the vice presidential nomination in front of the Barton County Courthouse.
The lack of coverage extends to coverage of the city's top tourist attraction, The Truman Birthplace. In those days when I was editor of The Democrat, from November 1982 until I left to take the Carthage Press position in March 1990, the Birthplace was a primary beat. We ran visitor statistics, comparisons, features. To run a Lamar newspaper without regular mentions of Harry S Truman is ludicrous.
Press writer shines on features
Reading Kristen Smith-Holland's features in today's Carthage Press reminded me of the days when I was fortunate enough to have some of the best feature writers around working for me at that newspaper, including Amy Lamb, Stacy Rector, Cait Purinton, Brian Webster, Rick Rogers, Mary Guccione and current Press Managing Editor Ron Graber.
One thing that I always liked to see reporters do at a smaller newspapers is to maximize their production by writing features that center around the news.
In Ms. Smith-Holland's feature on Joplin High School graduate Tessa Baugh Woods, she makes it a three-for-one proposition. In addition to having the kind of feature readers love to see in their newspapers, she connects it to two news stories since she talks about Mrs. Woods' husbands, Landon Woods of Jasper, a Marine stationed in Iraq, and she talks about her experience as an MSSU student in England at the time of the recent terrorists attacks. It makes for gripping reading.
The other feature is not connected to anything quite so serious, but nonetheless a big story in every community at this time of the year, the start of school. Ms. Smith-Holland profiles two new teachers in the Carthage R-9 system.
This approach to news writing makes the newspaper more relevant, something that newspapers have a difficult time accomplishing in this day and age. It also is extremely cost-effective.
Though every newspaper would love the luxury of having a reporter spend a day with someone for an in-depth feature, then call everyone that person knows, friend or enemy, that simply cannot be done by newspapers with small staffs. Not every editor or reporter has a knack for coming up with ideas for these kinds of features. That's why you see so many newspapers (and television stations) repeating the same worn out ideas over and over.
Why bother to pick up a newspaper the day after Thanksgiving just to read another story about how many people are out shopping on the first day of the Christmas season? Why do yet another story on April 15 on how many people have not filed their income tax reports? When newspapers do those kinds of stories over and over again, without doing anything different they drive away readers. I don't remember ever assigning that kind of story. If it made the paper, it was buried inside.
I have written before about the day the day in October 1990 that my managing editor at The Press, Neil Campbell, assigned me to cover the final Jasper County hearing in the Nancy Cruzan right-to-die case. There wasn't much difference between my account of the hearing and the ones that ran in The Globe, Associated Press, Kansas City Star, or New York Times. What made our coverage stand out was the feature I did on the nieces Nancy loved and how they were reacting to the testimony, including the courtroom sketches that Nancy's niece, Miranda Yocum, was drawing, and my interview with Nancy's father, Joe Cruzan, about his talented granddaughter.
Strong feature writing connected to events in the news can enable a small newspaper like The Press compete with the big boys in Joplin.
One thing that I always liked to see reporters do at a smaller newspapers is to maximize their production by writing features that center around the news.
In Ms. Smith-Holland's feature on Joplin High School graduate Tessa Baugh Woods, she makes it a three-for-one proposition. In addition to having the kind of feature readers love to see in their newspapers, she connects it to two news stories since she talks about Mrs. Woods' husbands, Landon Woods of Jasper, a Marine stationed in Iraq, and she talks about her experience as an MSSU student in England at the time of the recent terrorists attacks. It makes for gripping reading.
The other feature is not connected to anything quite so serious, but nonetheless a big story in every community at this time of the year, the start of school. Ms. Smith-Holland profiles two new teachers in the Carthage R-9 system.
This approach to news writing makes the newspaper more relevant, something that newspapers have a difficult time accomplishing in this day and age. It also is extremely cost-effective.
Though every newspaper would love the luxury of having a reporter spend a day with someone for an in-depth feature, then call everyone that person knows, friend or enemy, that simply cannot be done by newspapers with small staffs. Not every editor or reporter has a knack for coming up with ideas for these kinds of features. That's why you see so many newspapers (and television stations) repeating the same worn out ideas over and over.
Why bother to pick up a newspaper the day after Thanksgiving just to read another story about how many people are out shopping on the first day of the Christmas season? Why do yet another story on April 15 on how many people have not filed their income tax reports? When newspapers do those kinds of stories over and over again, without doing anything different they drive away readers. I don't remember ever assigning that kind of story. If it made the paper, it was buried inside.
I have written before about the day the day in October 1990 that my managing editor at The Press, Neil Campbell, assigned me to cover the final Jasper County hearing in the Nancy Cruzan right-to-die case. There wasn't much difference between my account of the hearing and the ones that ran in The Globe, Associated Press, Kansas City Star, or New York Times. What made our coverage stand out was the feature I did on the nieces Nancy loved and how they were reacting to the testimony, including the courtroom sketches that Nancy's niece, Miranda Yocum, was drawing, and my interview with Nancy's father, Joe Cruzan, about his talented granddaughter.
Strong feature writing connected to events in the news can enable a small newspaper like The Press compete with the big boys in Joplin.
Juror questions offered in Joplin police lawsuit
If you think lawsuits and lawyers are bad for the U. S. economy, you're not likely to be the kind of person James Keener wants on the jury next week when his lawsuit against the Joplin Police Department is heard in U. S. District Court in Springfield.
On the other hand, if you have been picked up for speeding or had any other negative experience with law enforcement, you are not on Joplin Police Officer James Kelly's ideal juror list.
Both sides in the lawsuit filed their juror questions (voir dire) today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
The trial is not great timing for a police department that is still suffering from the fallout of the situation revealed earlier this year when two officers handcuffed and detained an 11-year-old at a Joplin elementary school after that child had allegedly spit on the son of one of the officers off campus.
Keener claims Kelly violated his civil rights during a drunk driving arrest on April 1, 2000, according to court records. After Keener did not pull over for Kelly, and instead went into his driveway, got out of his car, and went into his house, Kelly entered Keener's house "and began assaulting plaintiff," according to the lawsuit.
Keener claims he was sprayed with Mace, injuring his face and eyes and that his door and carpet were damaged, as well as other property. The police have already stipulated that Kelly had no arrest warrant and no search warrant, and in fact, Keener was found not guilty.
Kelly claims any injuries Keener suffered were because of "his drunken condition." You can read more about the issues in the case by going to:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/trial-set-in-joplin-police-civil.html
According to the jury questions proposed by Officer Kelly's counsel, potential jurors will be asked if they know Keener or Kelly, Keener's lawyer William Fleischaker, who they will mention prominently as a member of the ACLU, and Kelly's lawyers, Karl W. Blanchard and Peter Edwards.
They will also ask whether jurors know potential witnesses in the case, including Officer Greg Batson, who one year ago today was injured in an explosion in which one officer was killed (that will be mentioned, according to the filing), former Webb City Police Chief Donald Richardson, Sonja Stringert, and Charleen "Linda" Keener, the plaintiff's wife.
Jurors will be asked if they have been involved in lawsuits, been on juries, had any knowledge of Keener's arrest, are familiar with the area of Joplin in which the arrest was made, have law enforcement training or experience, or have any idea of what probable cause is.
One question in particular seems to indicate the approach Kelly's lawyers plan to use. "The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects all free citizens regardless of their background or history for unreasonable search and seizures. Anyone who would not follow an instruction on the law that there are circumstances which justify a police officer in making a warrantless search of one's person or house?"
Potential jurors will be asked if they have ever run from the police, been booked or been subject to "inappropriate police conduct."
Keener's lawyer, Fleischaker, wants to know if potential jurors have worked for the government or have close friends or relatives who have. He will ask, "Do you agree or disagree with the proposition that the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution should serve to limit the power of government and its employees? Why?"
On the other hand, if you have been picked up for speeding or had any other negative experience with law enforcement, you are not on Joplin Police Officer James Kelly's ideal juror list.
Both sides in the lawsuit filed their juror questions (voir dire) today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
The trial is not great timing for a police department that is still suffering from the fallout of the situation revealed earlier this year when two officers handcuffed and detained an 11-year-old at a Joplin elementary school after that child had allegedly spit on the son of one of the officers off campus.
Keener claims Kelly violated his civil rights during a drunk driving arrest on April 1, 2000, according to court records. After Keener did not pull over for Kelly, and instead went into his driveway, got out of his car, and went into his house, Kelly entered Keener's house "and began assaulting plaintiff," according to the lawsuit.
Keener claims he was sprayed with Mace, injuring his face and eyes and that his door and carpet were damaged, as well as other property. The police have already stipulated that Kelly had no arrest warrant and no search warrant, and in fact, Keener was found not guilty.
Kelly claims any injuries Keener suffered were because of "his drunken condition." You can read more about the issues in the case by going to:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/trial-set-in-joplin-police-civil.html
According to the jury questions proposed by Officer Kelly's counsel, potential jurors will be asked if they know Keener or Kelly, Keener's lawyer William Fleischaker, who they will mention prominently as a member of the ACLU, and Kelly's lawyers, Karl W. Blanchard and Peter Edwards.
They will also ask whether jurors know potential witnesses in the case, including Officer Greg Batson, who one year ago today was injured in an explosion in which one officer was killed (that will be mentioned, according to the filing), former Webb City Police Chief Donald Richardson, Sonja Stringert, and Charleen "Linda" Keener, the plaintiff's wife.
Jurors will be asked if they have been involved in lawsuits, been on juries, had any knowledge of Keener's arrest, are familiar with the area of Joplin in which the arrest was made, have law enforcement training or experience, or have any idea of what probable cause is.
One question in particular seems to indicate the approach Kelly's lawyers plan to use. "The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects all free citizens regardless of their background or history for unreasonable search and seizures. Anyone who would not follow an instruction on the law that there are circumstances which justify a police officer in making a warrantless search of one's person or house?"
Potential jurors will be asked if they have ever run from the police, been booked or been subject to "inappropriate police conduct."
Keener's lawyer, Fleischaker, wants to know if potential jurors have worked for the government or have close friends or relatives who have. He will ask, "Do you agree or disagree with the proposition that the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution should serve to limit the power of government and its employees? Why?"
Skelton asks for disaster declaration
Fourth District Congressman Ike Skelton has asked the U. S. Department of Agriculture to declare 109 of Missouri's 114 counties, including all of them in the southwest Missouri area, a disaster area.
“Over the past several months," Skelton wrote, "Missouri has been experiencing a disastrous combination of extremely high temperatures and little precipitation. In many areas of the state, soybean and corn crops are dying, pastures are scorched, and ponds are arid. Many farmers who live in these parts of the state are facing tough economic choices as their losses exceed their expenses this year. These hard working American families deserve the immediate attention of the U.S. Department of Agriculture."
“Over the past several months," Skelton wrote, "Missouri has been experiencing a disastrous combination of extremely high temperatures and little precipitation. In many areas of the state, soybean and corn crops are dying, pastures are scorched, and ponds are arid. Many farmers who live in these parts of the state are facing tough economic choices as their losses exceed their expenses this year. These hard working American families deserve the immediate attention of the U.S. Department of Agriculture."
Greene County receives grant to combat domestic abuse
After the recent U. S. Supreme Court decision that said police officers cannot be held accountable for violence that takes place as a result of non-enforcement of protection orders, some good news has come to southwest Missouri on the domestic abuse front.
Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt announced today that the U. S. Department of Justice's Office on violence Against Women has approved a two-year $251,536 grant for the Greene County Prosecutor's office to combat domestic violence.
According to the news release, the grant is "intended to strengthen enforcement of protection orders and encourage the treatment of domestic violence as a serious violation of criminal law."
Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt announced today that the U. S. Department of Justice's Office on violence Against Women has approved a two-year $251,536 grant for the Greene County Prosecutor's office to combat domestic violence.
According to the news release, the grant is "intended to strengthen enforcement of protection orders and encourage the treatment of domestic violence as a serious violation of criminal law."
Globe looking for someone passionate about headlines
I'm worried about The Joplin Globe.
Not only do they have a "News to Go' section on the back page of their A section, which tells you what stories are on page one. (I, for one, normally start reading the paper with page one, but I may just be old fashioned)
Now, the Globe is searching for a new copy editor and according to www.journalismjobs.com is looking for someone who is "passionate about headlines." Now I suppose that would make for more interesting reading, but I would sure hate to be stuck in an elevator with this person and have to make small talk.
The ad says, "The Joplin Globe, an award-winning newspaper in Southwest Missouri, is looking for a copy editor to join our staff. Applicants should possess exceptional grammar and spelling skills, as well as have a talent for writing headlines that sell the story. Contact: Gary Castor, design chief, at gcastor@joplinglobe.com "
Hopefully, the applicant who lands this position will realize that the ad that brought him or her to the Globe contains a grammatical error. The Joplin Globe should be looking for a copy editor to join "its" staff rather than "our" staff.
This is what happens when you let an English teacher write a blog. (I can't wait for the comments to start pouring in on my grammatical errors.)
Not only do they have a "News to Go' section on the back page of their A section, which tells you what stories are on page one. (I, for one, normally start reading the paper with page one, but I may just be old fashioned)
Now, the Globe is searching for a new copy editor and according to www.journalismjobs.com is looking for someone who is "passionate about headlines." Now I suppose that would make for more interesting reading, but I would sure hate to be stuck in an elevator with this person and have to make small talk.
The ad says, "The Joplin Globe, an award-winning newspaper in Southwest Missouri, is looking for a copy editor to join our staff. Applicants should possess exceptional grammar and spelling skills, as well as have a talent for writing headlines that sell the story. Contact: Gary Castor, design chief, at gcastor@joplinglobe.com "
Hopefully, the applicant who lands this position will realize that the ad that brought him or her to the Globe contains a grammatical error. The Joplin Globe should be looking for a copy editor to join "its" staff rather than "our" staff.
This is what happens when you let an English teacher write a blog. (I can't wait for the comments to start pouring in on my grammatical errors.)
Nodler comments on theater incident
Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, tells his story about the theater incident in a comment left on The Turner Report this morning.
You can find the comment at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/star-post-dispatch-pick-up-nodler.html
You can find the comment at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/star-post-dispatch-pick-up-nodler.html
Finally, fee office manager chosen for Lamar
Joyce Moser has been named by the Missouri Department of Revenue to manage the driver's license fee office in Lamar, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
The current office will close at the end of the day Thursday, Aug. 11, with the new site, No. 7 Gem Tree Plaza, opening for business on Monday, Aug. 15, the news release said.
This should bring an end to one of the sorriest fiascos (though it has a lot of competition) in the early months of Governor Matt Blunt's first year in office.
Initially, a news release was published earlier this year saying that the contract office had been awarded to Bubs Hohulin. Since Hohulin, who served with Blunt in the House of Representatives, was already employed by the state government as an assistant to Sen. Carl Vogel, R-Jefferson City, the Missouri Democratic Party filed a complaint with the state Ethics Commission. That complaint was dismissed when the Commission ruled that Hohulin had not been officially appointed to the position. After that, a Department of Revenue spokesman told The Joplin Globe that Hohulin's name was no longer under consideration for the position. Shortly after that, Hohulin's wife, Marilyn, was appointed. She later also turned down the position. Hohulin explained on Lamarmo.com, saying, "It wasn't an easy decision to turn down the license bureau after all the work we did and the money we spent, but it got to where it wasn't worth the hassle for what it was going to pay."
The current office will close at the end of the day Thursday, Aug. 11, with the new site, No. 7 Gem Tree Plaza, opening for business on Monday, Aug. 15, the news release said.
This should bring an end to one of the sorriest fiascos (though it has a lot of competition) in the early months of Governor Matt Blunt's first year in office.
Initially, a news release was published earlier this year saying that the contract office had been awarded to Bubs Hohulin. Since Hohulin, who served with Blunt in the House of Representatives, was already employed by the state government as an assistant to Sen. Carl Vogel, R-Jefferson City, the Missouri Democratic Party filed a complaint with the state Ethics Commission. That complaint was dismissed when the Commission ruled that Hohulin had not been officially appointed to the position. After that, a Department of Revenue spokesman told The Joplin Globe that Hohulin's name was no longer under consideration for the position. Shortly after that, Hohulin's wife, Marilyn, was appointed. She later also turned down the position. Hohulin explained on Lamarmo.com, saying, "It wasn't an easy decision to turn down the license bureau after all the work we did and the money we spent, but it got to where it wasn't worth the hassle for what it was going to pay."
Corruption allegations made against Monett councilman
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri alleges that Monett City Councilman Jerry Dierker has misused his position to pad his pocketbook.
The action was filed by Mark Blackwell, who was fired from his position as public works superintendent in October 2004 after eight years, a dismissal he attributes to his attempts to blow the whistle on Dierker. In addition to Dierker, Councilman Don Roberson and Mayor Jim Orr are listed as defendants.
In his petition, Blackwell says Dierker:
-"used city funds and employees to further his own private construction and development projects, including the use of stormwater pipe purchased by the city, in Dierker's private construction projects, using employees paid by the city
-"used his position to improperly prevent or discourage construction and development projects which competed with his private projects
-"improperly utilized his position to coerce private developers and contractors to utilize the services of specific providers who were Dierker's friends or business associates.
Blackwell says that on or about June 1, 2004, "in response to Plaintiff's efforts to discover whether budgeting and accounting problems existed with respect to city projects, City Council member Jerry Dierker ordered the reassignment" of Blackwell's administrative assistant and failed to replace the assistant. After that time, Blackwell was not given access to accounting records to determine whether "proper budgeting and accounting procedures were being followed," according to the lawsuit.
On June 18, Blackwell met with Mayor Orr to discuss those concerns, as well as his concerns about what he considered to be improper activities by Dierker. The same concerns were discussed during a July 20, 2004, meeting with Orr and Dierker, the petition said.
On Aug. 17, 2004, Blackwell met with Roberson, going over the same concerns. He also took those concerns to others, including "retired public officials, leaders of the business community," and with other city employees," according to the lawsuit.
The situation came to a head at a meeting called by the mayor on Oct. 5, 2004. Others attending the meeting, the petition said, were Roberson, Dierker, and City Clerk Janie Knight. "At the personnel meeting on Oct. 5, 2004, Commissioner Roberson claimed that he was unable to reach (me) by phone on Sept. 15, 2004, and that therefore the commissioners and mayor determined that (I) had taken off work without reporting the absence."
At that point, Blackwell was given the option of signing his name to a resignation letter that was typed and ready for him. Blackwell refused. The mayor handed Blackwell another pre-arranged letter telling him he was fired.
Blackwell says those actions were not allowed under city policies, since he had never received any written reprimands or any other type of formal discipline and besides, the petition said, the "purported justification for terminating Plaintiff's employment was a pretext" and had nothing to do with the reason he was fired.
Blackwell says the firing was retaliation and violated his First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
The action was filed by Mark Blackwell, who was fired from his position as public works superintendent in October 2004 after eight years, a dismissal he attributes to his attempts to blow the whistle on Dierker. In addition to Dierker, Councilman Don Roberson and Mayor Jim Orr are listed as defendants.
In his petition, Blackwell says Dierker:
-"used city funds and employees to further his own private construction and development projects, including the use of stormwater pipe purchased by the city, in Dierker's private construction projects, using employees paid by the city
-"used his position to improperly prevent or discourage construction and development projects which competed with his private projects
-"improperly utilized his position to coerce private developers and contractors to utilize the services of specific providers who were Dierker's friends or business associates.
Blackwell says that on or about June 1, 2004, "in response to Plaintiff's efforts to discover whether budgeting and accounting problems existed with respect to city projects, City Council member Jerry Dierker ordered the reassignment" of Blackwell's administrative assistant and failed to replace the assistant. After that time, Blackwell was not given access to accounting records to determine whether "proper budgeting and accounting procedures were being followed," according to the lawsuit.
On June 18, Blackwell met with Mayor Orr to discuss those concerns, as well as his concerns about what he considered to be improper activities by Dierker. The same concerns were discussed during a July 20, 2004, meeting with Orr and Dierker, the petition said.
On Aug. 17, 2004, Blackwell met with Roberson, going over the same concerns. He also took those concerns to others, including "retired public officials, leaders of the business community," and with other city employees," according to the lawsuit.
The situation came to a head at a meeting called by the mayor on Oct. 5, 2004. Others attending the meeting, the petition said, were Roberson, Dierker, and City Clerk Janie Knight. "At the personnel meeting on Oct. 5, 2004, Commissioner Roberson claimed that he was unable to reach (me) by phone on Sept. 15, 2004, and that therefore the commissioners and mayor determined that (I) had taken off work without reporting the absence."
At that point, Blackwell was given the option of signing his name to a resignation letter that was typed and ready for him. Blackwell refused. The mayor handed Blackwell another pre-arranged letter telling him he was fired.
Blackwell says those actions were not allowed under city policies, since he had never received any written reprimands or any other type of formal discipline and besides, the petition said, the "purported justification for terminating Plaintiff's employment was a pretext" and had nothing to do with the reason he was fired.
Blackwell says the firing was retaliation and violated his First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
Hunter pads lobby title
Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, did not report receiving any gifts from lobbyists during the month of July, but then again, he only reported one of his gifts from June during the past week, according to Missouri Ethics Commission.
It wasn't much, but the $18 in "meals, food and beverage" Hunter received from Missouri Southern State University lobbyist Kyna Iman raised his top total for the entire House to $2,494.39. Of course, that amount does not include whatever Hunter receives from the lobbying organization, Associated Industries of Missouri, which employs him as a "membership recruiter." He has not volunteered the information and the president of the organization, former Rep. Gary Marble, R-Neosho, pretty much told people it's none of their business how much an elected official makes while working as a lobbyist in everything but title.
And, as I have pointed out numerous times in The Turner Report, Hunter did not begin his string of pro-business, anti-union bills until after he was on Associated Industries' payroll.
***
As far as this area's other elected officials are concerned, three of them, Ed Emery, R-Lamar, Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, and Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, deserve credit for maintaining their low amount of lobbyist gifts. The three did not report any for June or July.
Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, added $65 from Kyna Iman, MSSU lobbyist on June 16, the same day reported by Hunter, and $37.25 for "meals, food and beverage" on July 8 from Randy Scherr, who represents a number of interests, including medical, insurance, and banking.
As reported earlier, Ron Richard, R-Joplin, reported one gift, $165 in entertainment from Patrick Keenan Bly,SBC Missouri, which increased his total to $1,636.47, placing him in the top 10 among Missouri House members for most gifts received from lobbyists.
Among state senators, Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, who has Barton County in his district, had only one gift, $12 for "meals, food and beverage" from Cheryl K. Dillard, lobbyist for Coventry Health Care of Kansas City. Scott, however, did report two gifts for June, including $260 for entertainment from John E. Bardgett, Jr. who lobbies for a number of interests, but who only lists lobbying for his company, Bardgett and Associates, in June. Scott's other gift, $59.80 for entertainment, came from Robert W. Wilson, lobbyist for the Missouri Motor Carriers Association.
Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, reported only one gift in July, $6.50 in "meals, food and beverage" from Kathryn Ann Harness, who represents a number of organizations and companies, including health outfits, architects, Girl Scouts, and beer wholesalers. Nodler has a relatively meager total of gifts from lobbyists, $480.83 for 2005, but as I noted in earlier posts, Nodler has kept that total down by getting more from the lobbyists in cold, hard cash in the form of campaign contributions. An examination of his recent campaign disclosure reports show at least $2,700 in contributions from lobbyists or lobbyists' spouses.
You can check that out at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/globe-still-missing-boat-on-nodler-and.html
It wasn't much, but the $18 in "meals, food and beverage" Hunter received from Missouri Southern State University lobbyist Kyna Iman raised his top total for the entire House to $2,494.39. Of course, that amount does not include whatever Hunter receives from the lobbying organization, Associated Industries of Missouri, which employs him as a "membership recruiter." He has not volunteered the information and the president of the organization, former Rep. Gary Marble, R-Neosho, pretty much told people it's none of their business how much an elected official makes while working as a lobbyist in everything but title.
And, as I have pointed out numerous times in The Turner Report, Hunter did not begin his string of pro-business, anti-union bills until after he was on Associated Industries' payroll.
***
As far as this area's other elected officials are concerned, three of them, Ed Emery, R-Lamar, Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin, and Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, deserve credit for maintaining their low amount of lobbyist gifts. The three did not report any for June or July.
Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City, added $65 from Kyna Iman, MSSU lobbyist on June 16, the same day reported by Hunter, and $37.25 for "meals, food and beverage" on July 8 from Randy Scherr, who represents a number of interests, including medical, insurance, and banking.
As reported earlier, Ron Richard, R-Joplin, reported one gift, $165 in entertainment from Patrick Keenan Bly,SBC Missouri, which increased his total to $1,636.47, placing him in the top 10 among Missouri House members for most gifts received from lobbyists.
Among state senators, Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, who has Barton County in his district, had only one gift, $12 for "meals, food and beverage" from Cheryl K. Dillard, lobbyist for Coventry Health Care of Kansas City. Scott, however, did report two gifts for June, including $260 for entertainment from John E. Bardgett, Jr. who lobbies for a number of interests, but who only lists lobbying for his company, Bardgett and Associates, in June. Scott's other gift, $59.80 for entertainment, came from Robert W. Wilson, lobbyist for the Missouri Motor Carriers Association.
Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, reported only one gift in July, $6.50 in "meals, food and beverage" from Kathryn Ann Harness, who represents a number of organizations and companies, including health outfits, architects, Girl Scouts, and beer wholesalers. Nodler has a relatively meager total of gifts from lobbyists, $480.83 for 2005, but as I noted in earlier posts, Nodler has kept that total down by getting more from the lobbyists in cold, hard cash in the form of campaign contributions. An examination of his recent campaign disclosure reports show at least $2,700 in contributions from lobbyists or lobbyists' spouses.
You can check that out at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/globe-still-missing-boat-on-nodler-and.html
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Star, Post-Dispatch pick up Nodler story
The Gary Nodler theater meltdown has spread across Missouri, thanks to Associated Press. If you remember, our state senator had a public argument with a caregiver after complaining because the developmentally disabled adults she had taken to the theater were too loud and were not letting him enjoy "Fantastic Four."
The Nodler story has been picked up by the Kansas City Star and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. And if you check the original story in The Joplin Globe and the comments that have been posted by readers, only a handful are backing Nodler.
I will reiterate my original point; it really does not matter who was at fault in the initial incident, it is Nodler's reaction that has blown this into a full-scale embarrassment for the Joplin Republican.
Nodler's attempts to bully a 20-year-old college student smack of abuse of power. And his ludicrous claims that he was set up smack of either desperation or paranoia. If someone was really out to get him, this would have happened next year when he is coming up for reelection.
The Nodler story has been picked up by the Kansas City Star and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. And if you check the original story in The Joplin Globe and the comments that have been posted by readers, only a handful are backing Nodler.
I will reiterate my original point; it really does not matter who was at fault in the initial incident, it is Nodler's reaction that has blown this into a full-scale embarrassment for the Joplin Republican.
Nodler's attempts to bully a 20-year-old college student smack of abuse of power. And his ludicrous claims that he was set up smack of either desperation or paranoia. If someone was really out to get him, this would have happened next year when he is coming up for reelection.
Administrator, P. R. guy ripped off taxpayers
The Dade County audit, released today by Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill's office, definitely makes it appear that two Health Department employees were ripping off Dade County taxpayers.
You can find some of the information in the last post. The audit indicated that the administrator continued to pay the public relations director exorbitant amounts even at a time when the department was going deeply into the red.
"It is unclear why the board allowed this employee, who served in a public relations capacity to work excessive and unusual hours when the health center was deteriorating," the audit said.
You might chalk it all up to poor management, except for some of the outlandish payments that were made.
For instance, on April 24, 2003, the public relations director put in for 24 and a half hours of work and on other instances, public relations work was going on for 14 to 16 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
And it wasn't just the public relations officer. The former administrator "was double paid for half a month's salary in March 2004," according to the audit. And "the board approved mileage reimbursements for the former administrator during 2003 and 2004 totaling $2,317 although supporting documents could only be located for $124 of this amount."
And at one point, as mentioned in the last post, the Health Department Board traded some of its furniture for furniture owned by the public relations director...but made the decision illegally during a closed session.
You can find some of the information in the last post. The audit indicated that the administrator continued to pay the public relations director exorbitant amounts even at a time when the department was going deeply into the red.
"It is unclear why the board allowed this employee, who served in a public relations capacity to work excessive and unusual hours when the health center was deteriorating," the audit said.
You might chalk it all up to poor management, except for some of the outlandish payments that were made.
For instance, on April 24, 2003, the public relations director put in for 24 and a half hours of work and on other instances, public relations work was going on for 14 to 16 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
And it wasn't just the public relations officer. The former administrator "was double paid for half a month's salary in March 2004," according to the audit. And "the board approved mileage reimbursements for the former administrator during 2003 and 2004 totaling $2,317 although supporting documents could only be located for $124 of this amount."
And at one point, as mentioned in the last post, the Health Department Board traded some of its furniture for furniture owned by the public relations director...but made the decision illegally during a closed session.
State audit rips Dade County Health Center
The Dade County Health Department had a negative cash balance of $33,052 and $58,753 in past due payroll taxes at the end of 2004, according to a report issued today by Missouri State Auditor Claire McCaskill.
The audit ripped Health Department officials for ignoring warnings and recommendations to improve controls and cut costs. Among the inadequate controls and procedures cited in the audit:
-The board did not receive a detailed monthly financial report
-Various accounting records were inaccurate
-A budget was not prepared for 2001, 2002, 2003, or 2004
-Officials did not have enough money to cover the expenses they approved.
-Monthly bank reconciliations were not always prepared.
Part of the problem, the audit said, is that Health Department officials did little or nothing to monitor the hours paid to their employees. "Many of the compensatory hours claimed and paid to the former public relations officer appeared questionable. An adequate review of health center employees' timesheets, leave records, and payroll reports was apparently not performed."
And the problems just keep on going.
"The health center did not file 941 Employer's Quarterly Federal Income Tax Return forms and remit taxes due to the IRS in a timely manner, and did not reimburse employee retirement withholdings in a timely manner."
The Health Department Board also approved mileage for its former administrator with no documentation to support the claim. Capital assets records were not complete "and the board exchanged health center furniture for office furniture owned by the former public relations officer."
If that weren't enough, the audit also said the board "needs to improve compliance with the Sunshine Law.
The audit ripped Health Department officials for ignoring warnings and recommendations to improve controls and cut costs. Among the inadequate controls and procedures cited in the audit:
-The board did not receive a detailed monthly financial report
-Various accounting records were inaccurate
-A budget was not prepared for 2001, 2002, 2003, or 2004
-Officials did not have enough money to cover the expenses they approved.
-Monthly bank reconciliations were not always prepared.
Part of the problem, the audit said, is that Health Department officials did little or nothing to monitor the hours paid to their employees. "Many of the compensatory hours claimed and paid to the former public relations officer appeared questionable. An adequate review of health center employees' timesheets, leave records, and payroll reports was apparently not performed."
And the problems just keep on going.
"The health center did not file 941 Employer's Quarterly Federal Income Tax Return forms and remit taxes due to the IRS in a timely manner, and did not reimburse employee retirement withholdings in a timely manner."
The Health Department Board also approved mileage for its former administrator with no documentation to support the claim. Capital assets records were not complete "and the board exchanged health center furniture for office furniture owned by the former public relations officer."
If that weren't enough, the audit also said the board "needs to improve compliance with the Sunshine Law.
Moark/Neosho featured in Humane Society article
Newton County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Watson appears to be the first P.A. in the United States to file cruelty to animal charges against a major egg producer. The charges, of course, were filed after a video taken by Rick Bussey, Neosho, showed live chickens being poured into a dumpster.
Moark Industries, regional manager Dan Hudgens, and two employees of the company that handled disposal of the chickens were charged.
I just read about the article on Neosho Forums. You can find the article at:
http://hsus.org/
Moark Industries, regional manager Dan Hudgens, and two employees of the company that handled disposal of the chickens were charged.
I just read about the article on Neosho Forums. You can find the article at:
http://hsus.org/
Lindstedt: Saddam more honest than Matt Blunt
First, consider the source.
Yes, perennial candidate, avowed racist, and current Newton County prisoner Martin Lindstedt is whiling away the hours with more motions in his dead court case against Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.
The case was dismissed by U. S. District Court Judge earlier this year. Last month, Dorr ruled against Lindstedt's motion to file an appeal at the taxpayers' expense. Now, in documents filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Lindstedt is trying again, saying he was misunderstood and he will foot the bill for his court case if the court will instruct Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland "to let plaintiff as a prisoner go to his bank or out in the field to dig up some money not buried with his guns."
After that request, Lindstedt writes, "Now for a page or two chewing on this federal district court's ass:" Now if that's not a method of winning friends and influencing people, I don't know what is.
Lindstedt goes over the basis of his lawsuit against Blunt: Blunt did not allow Lindstedt to put his nickname "Mad Dog" on the ballot when Lindstedt was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2004. Blunt also refused to post a link to Lindstedt's website on the secretary of state's website (Blunt held that position and was also running for governor on the GOP ballot at that time) claiming (accurately) that the website was racist and filled with hate.
Lindstedt writes, "Plaintiff has been open and honest in his motivations for suing Defendant Blunt. Plaintiff knows Defendant Blunt is a moronic politician for sale to corporate bidders." He later claims that Blunt stole his office by deceit and bought it at auction.
He then says, "Saddam Hussein ran a far more honest campaign." Blunt then compares Iraqi "freedom fighters" to American soldiers saying "the average Iraqi freedom fighter, so-called insurgent terrorist, is far more of a man than the average ZOGling herd animal."
And Lindstedt can't figure out why no one takes him seriously.
Lindstedt also gives an update on his time in the Newton County Jail. "Plaintiff as a professional prisoner eats everything on his plate, no matter how loathsome and is now in fighting trim."
Lindstedt is charged with felony statutory sodomy and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond. Newton County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Selby also sentenced him to 660 days on 22 counts of contempt of court. Selby has ordered a mental evaluation for Lindstedt.
Yes, perennial candidate, avowed racist, and current Newton County prisoner Martin Lindstedt is whiling away the hours with more motions in his dead court case against Missouri Governor Matt Blunt.
The case was dismissed by U. S. District Court Judge earlier this year. Last month, Dorr ruled against Lindstedt's motion to file an appeal at the taxpayers' expense. Now, in documents filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Lindstedt is trying again, saying he was misunderstood and he will foot the bill for his court case if the court will instruct Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland "to let plaintiff as a prisoner go to his bank or out in the field to dig up some money not buried with his guns."
After that request, Lindstedt writes, "Now for a page or two chewing on this federal district court's ass:" Now if that's not a method of winning friends and influencing people, I don't know what is.
Lindstedt goes over the basis of his lawsuit against Blunt: Blunt did not allow Lindstedt to put his nickname "Mad Dog" on the ballot when Lindstedt was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 2004. Blunt also refused to post a link to Lindstedt's website on the secretary of state's website (Blunt held that position and was also running for governor on the GOP ballot at that time) claiming (accurately) that the website was racist and filled with hate.
Lindstedt writes, "Plaintiff has been open and honest in his motivations for suing Defendant Blunt. Plaintiff knows Defendant Blunt is a moronic politician for sale to corporate bidders." He later claims that Blunt stole his office by deceit and bought it at auction.
He then says, "Saddam Hussein ran a far more honest campaign." Blunt then compares Iraqi "freedom fighters" to American soldiers saying "the average Iraqi freedom fighter, so-called insurgent terrorist, is far more of a man than the average ZOGling herd animal."
And Lindstedt can't figure out why no one takes him seriously.
Lindstedt also gives an update on his time in the Newton County Jail. "Plaintiff as a professional prisoner eats everything on his plate, no matter how loathsome and is now in fighting trim."
Lindstedt is charged with felony statutory sodomy and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond. Newton County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Selby also sentenced him to 660 days on 22 counts of contempt of court. Selby has ordered a mental evaluation for Lindstedt.
Viers to speak at Missouri Press convention
Russell Viers, who began working computers as a teen at the Lamar Daily Democrat, and who worked for me briefly there, will be a presenter at the Missouri Press Association's annual convention at the Lodge of the Four Seasons Sept. 22-24. A short feature on Viers is included in this month's Missouri Press News and his face is on the cover.
According to the article, Viers is an "Adobe certified training provider who travels the globe teaching the techniques of pre-press computer programs." His topic at the convention will be using software to enhance digital photographs.
What I remember most about Russell Viers, who now lives in the Kansas City area, was his fanatical devotion to soccer, and the closest thing to soccer in Lamar was high school football. Viers was a soccer-style kicker for the Tigers and memory serves me correctly, at one point had the record for longest field goal in Lamar history.
He later turned that love of soccer into a short-lived soccer newspaper.
According to the article, Viers is an "Adobe certified training provider who travels the globe teaching the techniques of pre-press computer programs." His topic at the convention will be using software to enhance digital photographs.
What I remember most about Russell Viers, who now lives in the Kansas City area, was his fanatical devotion to soccer, and the closest thing to soccer in Lamar was high school football. Viers was a soccer-style kicker for the Tigers and memory serves me correctly, at one point had the record for longest field goal in Lamar history.
He later turned that love of soccer into a short-lived soccer newspaper.
Zimmer Group adds another station
The Zimmer Group, owners of four FM stations in Joplin, including KIX 102.5, the top-rated station, have moved across to the AM side. The company forked over $300,000 to buy KWAS 1230 AM from Larry Rice, according to Radio and Records.
The deal also includes Zimmer offering engineering help to Rice's organization, New Life Evangelistic Center, Inc., as it moves the studios for its other station, KKLL-AM in Webb City.
This will most likely mean a change in format, so those who have been listening to ESPN News and Chicago White Sox baseball probably better get ready to hear something different.
The deal also includes Zimmer offering engineering help to Rice's organization, New Life Evangelistic Center, Inc., as it moves the studios for its other station, KKLL-AM in Webb City.
This will most likely mean a change in format, so those who have been listening to ESPN News and Chicago White Sox baseball probably better get ready to hear something different.
9-11 and Peter Jennings
Not one teacher at Diamond Middle School in the fall of 2001 would have traded places with me. Not only was I teaching in a small trailer parked outside the high school building by the gymnasium, but it was a two-classroom trailer and I had the smaller (much smaller) classroom.
But I had one thing on Sept. 11, 2001, that the other teachers at DMS did not have...a television that actually worked. The televisions in the main section of the school were passable for showing videos, but they could barely pick up a broadcasting signal. My television, for some odd reason, had a good picture.
So when Sue Macy, the principal's secretary, told me that the World Trade Center had been attacked, my television went on and it went straight to KODE and the ABC News coverage with Peter Jennings.
I would like to say that was because I knew he would provide a calm, intelligent perspective on something that defied description. Truthfully, it was because Channel 12 was the only station that TV picked up.
At the time, I was teaching current issues, a writing-intensive class, so the broadcast fit right into my curriculum. For the next several hours, my classes sat transfixed by the carnage on the television screen, the horror that someone had actually come into our country and did this to our people. Somehow, Peter Jennings was able to keep my classes...and the nation...reassured throughout the horrible day.
At Diamond, all of the schools, high school, middle school, and elementary school, are on the same campus. Even though the word spread quickly not to allow Diamond Elementary students to watch the coverage, the word did not reach the other occupant of the trailer, fifth grade teacher Chris Rakestraw, who brought his class across the trailer to watch.
All throughout the day, KODE kept breaking away for about five minutes every half hour or so to bring a local perspective on events. It was an admirable thing to do, but there simply wasn't enough substance to coverage so far from New York and Washington, D. C. When the station would break away from Peter Jennings and ABC''s coverage, the students groaned, but that turned out to be a perfect time, to turn down the volume on the set and discuss the situation. My students asked some good questions, but so did Chris Rakestraw's fifth graders. Part of the reason they were able to ask such intelligent questions was due to the way the ABC anchors and reporters thoroughly explained what at first glance seemed to be unexplainable.
Peter Jennings, who died Sunday at age 67 from lung cancer, helped guide America through many critical news events. That's the one I will remember.
But I had one thing on Sept. 11, 2001, that the other teachers at DMS did not have...a television that actually worked. The televisions in the main section of the school were passable for showing videos, but they could barely pick up a broadcasting signal. My television, for some odd reason, had a good picture.
So when Sue Macy, the principal's secretary, told me that the World Trade Center had been attacked, my television went on and it went straight to KODE and the ABC News coverage with Peter Jennings.
I would like to say that was because I knew he would provide a calm, intelligent perspective on something that defied description. Truthfully, it was because Channel 12 was the only station that TV picked up.
At the time, I was teaching current issues, a writing-intensive class, so the broadcast fit right into my curriculum. For the next several hours, my classes sat transfixed by the carnage on the television screen, the horror that someone had actually come into our country and did this to our people. Somehow, Peter Jennings was able to keep my classes...and the nation...reassured throughout the horrible day.
At Diamond, all of the schools, high school, middle school, and elementary school, are on the same campus. Even though the word spread quickly not to allow Diamond Elementary students to watch the coverage, the word did not reach the other occupant of the trailer, fifth grade teacher Chris Rakestraw, who brought his class across the trailer to watch.
All throughout the day, KODE kept breaking away for about five minutes every half hour or so to bring a local perspective on events. It was an admirable thing to do, but there simply wasn't enough substance to coverage so far from New York and Washington, D. C. When the station would break away from Peter Jennings and ABC''s coverage, the students groaned, but that turned out to be a perfect time, to turn down the volume on the set and discuss the situation. My students asked some good questions, but so did Chris Rakestraw's fifth graders. Part of the reason they were able to ask such intelligent questions was due to the way the ABC anchors and reporters thoroughly explained what at first glance seemed to be unexplainable.
Peter Jennings, who died Sunday at age 67 from lung cancer, helped guide America through many critical news events. That's the one I will remember.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Pineville policeman pleads guilty
Suspended Pineville police officer Terry Dene Bates, 35, pleaded guilty today in McDonald County Circuit Court to misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and assault.
Bates was given a suspended sentence on both charges and will be on unsupervised probation for two years on the DWI charge and for one year on the assault charge. He will have to attend a victim impact panel for alcohol offenders on Sept. 17, according to court records.
Bates has been suspended since he was stopped by a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper June 12. News reports following the arrest indicated he had a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit
Earlier news reports said the assault was on a nine-year-old girl at a get-together in Noel. He allegedly grabbed the girl by the arm. Court records indicate an Anderson man filed a child protection order against Bates on June 13, though the temporary order was dismissed without prejudice June 27.
Bates was given a suspended sentence on both charges and will be on unsupervised probation for two years on the DWI charge and for one year on the assault charge. He will have to attend a victim impact panel for alcohol offenders on Sept. 17, according to court records.
Bates has been suspended since he was stopped by a Missouri Highway Patrol trooper June 12. News reports following the arrest indicated he had a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit
Earlier news reports said the assault was on a nine-year-old girl at a get-together in Noel. He allegedly grabbed the girl by the arm. Court records indicate an Anderson man filed a child protection order against Bates on June 13, though the temporary order was dismissed without prejudice June 27.
Flaw in bill could be big problem for business
The workers compensation reform bill, which Republican legislators said would help Missouri business could end up undermining it, according to an article in today's Columbia Tribune.
Reporter Josh Flory's article says that five words could open up a Pandora's box since they appear to give workers the opportunity to take their cases to civil court instead of going through the workers' compensation system.
Those words, the article said seem to indicate that cases of "personal injury or death of the employee by accident" would not be subject to the law, which has been interpreted to mean that it could be taken to civil court.
The governor and legislative leaders are debating whether to address this in next month's special session, or let it go until next year.
Reporter Josh Flory's article says that five words could open up a Pandora's box since they appear to give workers the opportunity to take their cases to civil court instead of going through the workers' compensation system.
Those words, the article said seem to indicate that cases of "personal injury or death of the employee by accident" would not be subject to the law, which has been interpreted to mean that it could be taken to civil court.
The governor and legislative leaders are debating whether to address this in next month's special session, or let it go until next year.
Bishop Liebrecht submits resignation
KYTV in Springfield reports that Bishop John J. Liebrecht, 75, of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau has submitted his resignation. Seventy-five is the mandatory retirement age. The station said the bishop plans to remain in Springfield.
KODE jumps on Nodler story
Any hopes Sen. Gary Nodler had of his confrontation with a 20-year-old caregiver at a local movie theater dying down, appear to have been dashed. KODE picked up on it on its 5 p.m. newscast, which means most likely it was also on sister station KSNF, though I didn't catch that segment.
It's not that I question the results of the lie detector test Nodler used in an attempt to verify his version of events. It sure seems as though he is attempting to swat a fly with a sledge hammer.
If Nodler had done as much to defend the interests of the people of this district as he has to defend his own interests, he would be the most beloved politician in southwest Missouri.
It's not that I question the results of the lie detector test Nodler used in an attempt to verify his version of events. It sure seems as though he is attempting to swat a fly with a sledge hammer.
If Nodler had done as much to defend the interests of the people of this district as he has to defend his own interests, he would be the most beloved politician in southwest Missouri.
Blunt should release license fee office plans
KOAM's 5 p.m. news featured the news, which is not news to people who read this blog, that Governor Matt Blunt, in the guise of privatizing driver's license fee offices, has managed to find a way to reward campaign contributors.
The KOAM report noted that the people he chose to run fee offices in Joplin, Carthage, Independence, and Springfield, were major contributors to the governor's campaign in 2004. Blunt, during his visit here last week to inspect drought conditions, said these offices were awarded strictly on the basis of management plans. It did not matter if the person who received the office was the lowest bidder, only that the management plan met his specifications.
That would lead me to believe that certain people were told what the governor wanted in his management plans and those people, most of them campaign contributors, simply gave him the plan he said he wanted.
It is my understanding that KOAM has made efforts to get these plans through the Freedom of Information act, obviously without any luck. The plans should be released as part of the public records.
There could only be two reasons why they have not been. One, no management plans exist, or two, every one of them is the same.
It is nothing new for governors to reward their campaign contributors,, even though it is a sorry practice. What is different about this governor is the long and winding road he takes when it comes to the truth.
The KOAM report noted that the people he chose to run fee offices in Joplin, Carthage, Independence, and Springfield, were major contributors to the governor's campaign in 2004. Blunt, during his visit here last week to inspect drought conditions, said these offices were awarded strictly on the basis of management plans. It did not matter if the person who received the office was the lowest bidder, only that the management plan met his specifications.
That would lead me to believe that certain people were told what the governor wanted in his management plans and those people, most of them campaign contributors, simply gave him the plan he said he wanted.
It is my understanding that KOAM has made efforts to get these plans through the Freedom of Information act, obviously without any luck. The plans should be released as part of the public records.
There could only be two reasons why they have not been. One, no management plans exist, or two, every one of them is the same.
It is nothing new for governors to reward their campaign contributors,, even though it is a sorry practice. What is different about this governor is the long and winding road he takes when it comes to the truth.
Globe's Nodler story brings strong reaction
I have been reading through the reader comments on The Joplin Globe's website to the confrontation between Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, and caregiver Angela Richardson. (You can read more about it on some of yesterday's posts.)
Nearly all of the people are against Nodler on this and I am amazed at the ones who are not. Even if you believe Nodler's version of what happened, we are talking about an incredibly immature attitude by a man in his 50s and an elected official at that.
And again, I will point out that it appears to be Nodler who is pushing to have a 20-year-0ld girl either dismissed from her job or disciplined. This definitely meets my definition of abuse of power.
Check out the comments at the bottom of the page at:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=200419&c=
Nearly all of the people are against Nodler on this and I am amazed at the ones who are not. Even if you believe Nodler's version of what happened, we are talking about an incredibly immature attitude by a man in his 50s and an elected official at that.
And again, I will point out that it appears to be Nodler who is pushing to have a 20-year-0ld girl either dismissed from her job or disciplined. This definitely meets my definition of abuse of power.
Check out the comments at the bottom of the page at:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=200419&c=
Branson subject of Washington Post feature
Perhaps I am just a bit defensive about the bias of east coast media outlets. No, I have never bought into the ridiculous notion passed along as gospel by some of the right-wing media outlets that the New York Times and the Washington Post and the networks are godless operations whose sole goal is to make Hillary Clinton president, but there is a definite bias nonetheless.
Today's Washington Post features an article which is purportedly about the city of Branson's efforts to reach a more upscale group of tourists. That theme lasts for about a paragraph or two. The rest of the article is spent making ridiculous observations such as how you can't find a person in Branson who doesn't support President Bush.
You can find the article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/07/AR2005080700873.html?referrer=email
Today's Washington Post features an article which is purportedly about the city of Branson's efforts to reach a more upscale group of tourists. That theme lasts for about a paragraph or two. The rest of the article is spent making ridiculous observations such as how you can't find a person in Branson who doesn't support President Bush.
You can find the article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/07/AR2005080700873.html?referrer=email
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Terry Shepherd died five years ago tomorrow
During the first incarnation of The Turner Report back in 2000, one of the hardest stories I ever had to write came after the death of Terry Shepherd, Carthage, who had been a friend since we were first graders today at Midway School, through our days at East Newton High School, Missouri Southern State College, and eventually as adults.
Terry was probably best known as the businessman who started Midamerica Hardwoods in Sarcoxie, and along with his wife, Rhonda, as the driving force behind the creation of the Christian Youth Center, The Powerhouse, in Carthage.
This was what I wrote five years ago:
The blue and white Pinto wasn't the most fearsome looking car cruising down the Neosho Boulevard that summer evening in 1972, but with Terry Shepherd behind the wheel, it became a combination Formula race car and Batmobile. One of the nice things about the Pinto was its maneuverability and Terry skillfully weaved it in and out of the two southbound lanes. The Pinto, carrying Terry and two other East Newton High School students, pulled up beside a carful of Neosho High School students. There were no markings on the car that said, "Hey, we're Neosho High School students," but you could always tell the ones from Neosho. They had that wild-eyed look. Or at least we thought so back then. It's amazing the barriers that 10 miles of geography can place between people.
Terry pulled into the left lane and drove up beside the Neosho car. Terry's friend, Chief Saddler, who was on the front passenger side, rolled down his window, just in time to hear a Neosho boy shout what seemed to be an impolite greeting. Chief's response was a little more impolite and the chase was on. Terry pulled ahead of the Neosho car, took a left, drove through a parking lot and headed north. He left the boulevard and there probably wasn't a street in Neosho that didn't see that blue and white Pinto that night. Finally, the car came to a one-way street. Unfortunately, the sign said, "One way, do not enter."
"Let's do it," Terry said and zipped down the one-way street going the wrong way. The Neosho car didn't follow.
He drove around town a while longer until once again he spotted that same Neosho car on his tail. The chase resumed and soon, once again, Terry came up to the one-way street. He looked at Chief. Chief looked at him. No words were spoken. Terry drove the wrong way one more time and once again the Neosho car passed up the chance to follow him.
It took a while, but the Neosho group spotted the blue and white Pinto (how could you miss it) and this time, those boys were out for blood. Terry decided to go to the well one more time and returned to the one-way street. There was no doubt about what he was going to do this time. He didn't even hesitate as he turned and drove the wrong way. Only this time, the Neosho car followed. As the Pinto emerged on the other side of the street, another car pulled into the path of the Neosho vehicle ending the chase as the pursuers were forced to pull off the road.
That memory of Terry Shepherd is as vivid to me today as it was 28 years ago when I was cowering in the back seat of that Pinto figuring that each time down that one-way street was going to be the last one. We took one lesson out of that evening...Those people from Neosho are crazy. Stay away from them.
Fortunately, Terry forgot that lesson and five years later, he married Rhonda Speak, a Neosho girl. And she didn't even have that wild-eyed look. The chase, Terry discovered, was much more rewarding when Neosho and East Newton were in the same vehicle heading in the same direction for eternity. The car chases were a distant memory when Terry married, but enjoying life was something he did from the day he was born until the accident that took his life Tuesday at Jolly Mill Park.The picture that accompanied his obituary in The Joplin Globe and The Carthage Press struck an instant chord with everyone who saw it. Terry was nearly always smiling and there was generally a hearty laugh just a few moments away when he was in a room.
In the short 44 years Terry had on this earth, he accomplished a great deal. Some of those accomplishments were listed in the obituary. He was the driving force behind Mid-America Hardwoods. He teamed with his wife to form the highly successful and much-needed Powerhouse Teen Center in Carthage. He spent a great deal of his summers for the past three decades coaching Little League baseball. He devoted his time to the things that meant the most to him, his family, his church and the young people of the community. The most endearing quality about Terry Shepherd was that he did all of these things, over and over again, without ever needing to be the center of attention. On the Halloween night a few years ago when the Powerhouse Teen Center opened, Terry stood proudly in the back of the auditorium as Rhonda welcomed the capacity crowd.
From Terry's standpoint, someone had to do the introduction, Rhonda had put in hour after hour of work to get the former theatre building ready for the grand opening...and besides, he would say with a laugh, everybody would rather look at her anyway. The Teen Center's success stands as a symbol of the commitment Terry and Rhonda Shepherd made to young people, a commitment also symbolized by their four children, Adrian, Aubree, Allee and Lucas. Terry was just six months away from becoming a grandfather.
The lines were long at Terry's visitation at Fairview Christian Church Thursday night. The memories were flowing as rapidly as the tears. "It's a shame he'll never see his grandchildren," one woman said quietly as she looked at Terry's pregnant daughter. Yes he will, ma'am. He certainly will.
Terry was probably best known as the businessman who started Midamerica Hardwoods in Sarcoxie, and along with his wife, Rhonda, as the driving force behind the creation of the Christian Youth Center, The Powerhouse, in Carthage.
This was what I wrote five years ago:
The blue and white Pinto wasn't the most fearsome looking car cruising down the Neosho Boulevard that summer evening in 1972, but with Terry Shepherd behind the wheel, it became a combination Formula race car and Batmobile. One of the nice things about the Pinto was its maneuverability and Terry skillfully weaved it in and out of the two southbound lanes. The Pinto, carrying Terry and two other East Newton High School students, pulled up beside a carful of Neosho High School students. There were no markings on the car that said, "Hey, we're Neosho High School students," but you could always tell the ones from Neosho. They had that wild-eyed look. Or at least we thought so back then. It's amazing the barriers that 10 miles of geography can place between people.
Terry pulled into the left lane and drove up beside the Neosho car. Terry's friend, Chief Saddler, who was on the front passenger side, rolled down his window, just in time to hear a Neosho boy shout what seemed to be an impolite greeting. Chief's response was a little more impolite and the chase was on. Terry pulled ahead of the Neosho car, took a left, drove through a parking lot and headed north. He left the boulevard and there probably wasn't a street in Neosho that didn't see that blue and white Pinto that night. Finally, the car came to a one-way street. Unfortunately, the sign said, "One way, do not enter."
"Let's do it," Terry said and zipped down the one-way street going the wrong way. The Neosho car didn't follow.
He drove around town a while longer until once again he spotted that same Neosho car on his tail. The chase resumed and soon, once again, Terry came up to the one-way street. He looked at Chief. Chief looked at him. No words were spoken. Terry drove the wrong way one more time and once again the Neosho car passed up the chance to follow him.
It took a while, but the Neosho group spotted the blue and white Pinto (how could you miss it) and this time, those boys were out for blood. Terry decided to go to the well one more time and returned to the one-way street. There was no doubt about what he was going to do this time. He didn't even hesitate as he turned and drove the wrong way. Only this time, the Neosho car followed. As the Pinto emerged on the other side of the street, another car pulled into the path of the Neosho vehicle ending the chase as the pursuers were forced to pull off the road.
That memory of Terry Shepherd is as vivid to me today as it was 28 years ago when I was cowering in the back seat of that Pinto figuring that each time down that one-way street was going to be the last one. We took one lesson out of that evening...Those people from Neosho are crazy. Stay away from them.
Fortunately, Terry forgot that lesson and five years later, he married Rhonda Speak, a Neosho girl. And she didn't even have that wild-eyed look. The chase, Terry discovered, was much more rewarding when Neosho and East Newton were in the same vehicle heading in the same direction for eternity. The car chases were a distant memory when Terry married, but enjoying life was something he did from the day he was born until the accident that took his life Tuesday at Jolly Mill Park.The picture that accompanied his obituary in The Joplin Globe and The Carthage Press struck an instant chord with everyone who saw it. Terry was nearly always smiling and there was generally a hearty laugh just a few moments away when he was in a room.
In the short 44 years Terry had on this earth, he accomplished a great deal. Some of those accomplishments were listed in the obituary. He was the driving force behind Mid-America Hardwoods. He teamed with his wife to form the highly successful and much-needed Powerhouse Teen Center in Carthage. He spent a great deal of his summers for the past three decades coaching Little League baseball. He devoted his time to the things that meant the most to him, his family, his church and the young people of the community. The most endearing quality about Terry Shepherd was that he did all of these things, over and over again, without ever needing to be the center of attention. On the Halloween night a few years ago when the Powerhouse Teen Center opened, Terry stood proudly in the back of the auditorium as Rhonda welcomed the capacity crowd.
From Terry's standpoint, someone had to do the introduction, Rhonda had put in hour after hour of work to get the former theatre building ready for the grand opening...and besides, he would say with a laugh, everybody would rather look at her anyway. The Teen Center's success stands as a symbol of the commitment Terry and Rhonda Shepherd made to young people, a commitment also symbolized by their four children, Adrian, Aubree, Allee and Lucas. Terry was just six months away from becoming a grandfather.
The lines were long at Terry's visitation at Fairview Christian Church Thursday night. The memories were flowing as rapidly as the tears. "It's a shame he'll never see his grandchildren," one woman said quietly as she looked at Terry's pregnant daughter. Yes he will, ma'am. He certainly will.
Extreme Home Makeover coming to area
Sources close to Branco, the Neosho construction firm, indicate that Extreme Home Makeover, the ABC reality hit, will be coming to the area sometime around Aug. 20. The construction company has been placed in charge of organizing volunteers for the local project, which will include a contingent from the Neosho R-5 School District.
Volunteers have not been told where the project is, only that it will be within a 30-mile radius of Neosho.
Volunteers have not been told where the project is, only that it will be within a 30-mile radius of Neosho.
Globe still missing the boat on Nodler and lobbyists
I have been waiting in vain for The Joplin Globe to follow up on its earlier report on area legislators and lobbyists. Today's edition did have a follow-up on the lobbyist situation, but Globe reporters have still not explained why this issue should be of great importance.
I have written time after time about the incredible amount of gifts, including free gambling trips that casino interests have bought for Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, but at least Hunter's are all listed on the lobbyist disclosure forms.
A far more insidious route has been taken by Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin. Anyone who read the Globe's earlier article probably thought Nodler was pretty much holding the line, since he had only accepted $474.33 in gifts, far less than Hunter, Ron Richard, or Bryan Stevenson, and slightly less than Marilyn Ruestman.
Why accept trinkets and trips when you can get the lobbyists to fork over cold, hard cash? That, as The Turner Report noted on July 16, is how Nodler has been keeping the machinery for his re-election campaign lubricated. Let me repeat a portion of that post:
A review of campaign committee disclosure forms on file with the Missouri Ethics Commission, shows that in the past year Nodler has received $2,100 in contributions from registered lobbyists and another $600 from a lobbyist's wife.
The most recent disclosure form shows Nodler receiving the following amounts from lobbyists:
-$6oo from Mark Rhoads, who among other clients, represents the Missouri Riverboat Gaming Association, AT&T, and the Insurance Coalition.
-$150 from J. Scott Marrs, who lists the Missouri Hospital Association, city of Springfield, Southwest Missouri State University, Bass Pro, Springfield Public Schools, and Springfield City Utilities among his clients.
-$150 from Gary Sharpe, lobbyist for Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals, Missouri Association of School Administrators, and Missouri Council of School Administrators.
-$250 from Penman & Winton, a lobbying firm. Lobbyists Scott Penman and David Winton represent Southwestern Bell (SBC) and BSC Healthcare Systems.
-$250 from Burch & Associates, the lobbying firm operated by former State Rep. Jerry Burch, who represents Missouri Hospital Association, Southwest Missouri State University, Greene County Commission, Springfield City Utilities, and the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.
-$150 from Kyna Iman, lobbyist for Missouri Southern State University
-$100 from Douglas Burnett, who represents the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Missouri Motor Carriers Association, and Boone County
-$100 from William E. Shoehigh, lobbyist for the Apollo Group, Dell, and Microsoft
During the October 2004 filing, Nodler received $175 from Iman, $175 from The Swain Group, a lobbying firm that represents Citizens Healthcare Association, Kansas City Chiefs, Missouri Energy Corp., and CenturyTel.
During that time period, Nodler also received the maximum $600 from Sharon Beshore, wife of Lance Beshore, a registered lobbyist for Leggett & Platt.
Those contributions are among the $51,970.34 Nodler has in his campaign war chest, according to the just released disclosure report. Some interesting names pop up on the donor list.
Keith Burdick, Jenks, Okla., the chief financial officer and a partner in Xcaliber, a recently formed tobacco company that derives 98 percent of its money from the sale of Echo-brand cigarettes gave Nodler $600. Burdick's company has been fighting the Oklahoma legislature, saying that only previously established companies should have to abide by the federal settlement with tobacco companies. A decision like that could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars for Xcaliber.
Harrah's Operating Co. Inc., the casino company, donated the maximum $600.
The Apollo Group, the company that runs internet education for adults under such names as University of Phoenix Online, donated $500.
Nodler has also been playing a mean game of PAC Man, receiving money from numerous political action committees, including:
Missouri Mortgage Bankers $600, Missouri Council of School Administrators $150, Missouri Medical PAC $600, Missouri School Boards Association $300, American Insurance Association Missouri PAC $300, General Motors, Washington, D. C. $600, Missouri Bankers Association Capital Region $600, Motor Carriers Public Affairs $600, Associated General Contractors Missouri PAC $300, MPCA (The Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association) $600, MMH PAC, Jefferson City $400
I have written time after time about the incredible amount of gifts, including free gambling trips that casino interests have bought for Rep. Steve Hunter, R-Joplin, but at least Hunter's are all listed on the lobbyist disclosure forms.
A far more insidious route has been taken by Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin. Anyone who read the Globe's earlier article probably thought Nodler was pretty much holding the line, since he had only accepted $474.33 in gifts, far less than Hunter, Ron Richard, or Bryan Stevenson, and slightly less than Marilyn Ruestman.
Why accept trinkets and trips when you can get the lobbyists to fork over cold, hard cash? That, as The Turner Report noted on July 16, is how Nodler has been keeping the machinery for his re-election campaign lubricated. Let me repeat a portion of that post:
A review of campaign committee disclosure forms on file with the Missouri Ethics Commission, shows that in the past year Nodler has received $2,100 in contributions from registered lobbyists and another $600 from a lobbyist's wife.
The most recent disclosure form shows Nodler receiving the following amounts from lobbyists:
-$6oo from Mark Rhoads, who among other clients, represents the Missouri Riverboat Gaming Association, AT&T, and the Insurance Coalition.
-$150 from J. Scott Marrs, who lists the Missouri Hospital Association, city of Springfield, Southwest Missouri State University, Bass Pro, Springfield Public Schools, and Springfield City Utilities among his clients.
-$150 from Gary Sharpe, lobbyist for Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals, Missouri Association of School Administrators, and Missouri Council of School Administrators.
-$250 from Penman & Winton, a lobbying firm. Lobbyists Scott Penman and David Winton represent Southwestern Bell (SBC) and BSC Healthcare Systems.
-$250 from Burch & Associates, the lobbying firm operated by former State Rep. Jerry Burch, who represents Missouri Hospital Association, Southwest Missouri State University, Greene County Commission, Springfield City Utilities, and the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.
-$150 from Kyna Iman, lobbyist for Missouri Southern State University
-$100 from Douglas Burnett, who represents the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Missouri Motor Carriers Association, and Boone County
-$100 from William E. Shoehigh, lobbyist for the Apollo Group, Dell, and Microsoft
During the October 2004 filing, Nodler received $175 from Iman, $175 from The Swain Group, a lobbying firm that represents Citizens Healthcare Association, Kansas City Chiefs, Missouri Energy Corp., and CenturyTel.
During that time period, Nodler also received the maximum $600 from Sharon Beshore, wife of Lance Beshore, a registered lobbyist for Leggett & Platt.
Those contributions are among the $51,970.34 Nodler has in his campaign war chest, according to the just released disclosure report. Some interesting names pop up on the donor list.
Keith Burdick, Jenks, Okla., the chief financial officer and a partner in Xcaliber, a recently formed tobacco company that derives 98 percent of its money from the sale of Echo-brand cigarettes gave Nodler $600. Burdick's company has been fighting the Oklahoma legislature, saying that only previously established companies should have to abide by the federal settlement with tobacco companies. A decision like that could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars for Xcaliber.
Harrah's Operating Co. Inc., the casino company, donated the maximum $600.
The Apollo Group, the company that runs internet education for adults under such names as University of Phoenix Online, donated $500.
Nodler has also been playing a mean game of PAC Man, receiving money from numerous political action committees, including:
Missouri Mortgage Bankers $600, Missouri Council of School Administrators $150, Missouri Medical PAC $600, Missouri School Boards Association $300, American Insurance Association Missouri PAC $300, General Motors, Washington, D. C. $600, Missouri Bankers Association Capital Region $600, Motor Carriers Public Affairs $600, Associated General Contractors Missouri PAC $300, MPCA (The Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association) $600, MMH PAC, Jefferson City $400
Nodler blowup comes at right time for Democrats
Gary Nodler's fit of pique when he wasn't able to thoroughly enjoy a screening of "Fantastic Four" comes at an opportune time for area Democrats. Nodler's four-year term ends next year and no doubt the Democrats will look for someone to make him into a one-term senator.
The blowup is just one of many things that is making Nodler look vulnerable. His blind support of Governor Matt Blunt's pro-business agenda, and worse yet, trying to make it appear that every vote was cast as a representation of his southwest Missouri constituents, is even hurting him in the eyes of area Republicans.
I would guess Nodler will be a topic of discussion when the Jasper County Democratic Committee meets 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Woody's Steakhouse.
The blowup is just one of many things that is making Nodler look vulnerable. His blind support of Governor Matt Blunt's pro-business agenda, and worse yet, trying to make it appear that every vote was cast as a representation of his southwest Missouri constituents, is even hurting him in the eyes of area Republicans.
I would guess Nodler will be a topic of discussion when the Jasper County Democratic Committee meets 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Woody's Steakhouse.
Peter Jennings dead at 67
Word just came out over the wires that ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings has died at the age of 67.
Portrait of Nodler beginning to emerge
Area educators were probably somewhat astonished when Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, was chosen to head up the committee to rework the Foundation Formula, through which Missouri elementary and secondary schools are funded.
During the time three years ago when education funding was reaching a crisis situation, I attended a meeting at which Nodler's name was brought up. An area superintendent said Nodler had told school administrators that what they wanted did not matter. He was at Jefferson City to do what Leggett & Platt (the biggest contributor to Republican campaigns in Missouri and one of the biggest in the nation) wanted him to do.
I e-mailed Nodler at that time, told him of the comment and asked for a response. Three years have passed, Gary, and I'm still waiting.
What brought these fond remembrances of my state senator to mind was the article written by Max McCoy, Joplin Globe investigative reporter for today's edition. For those who have not read the article, Nodler apparently threw a fit when he was unable to enjoy the movie "Fantastic Four" because of noise created by a handful of developmentally disabled adults.
The caregiver who was responsible for those adults, Amanda Richardson, apparently got into a verbal clash with Nodler. Who was at fault depends on which person you believe. She claims Nodler said that "people like that shouldn't be allowed in places (such as movie theaters)," according to the Globe account.
Nodler claims Ms. Richardson used the "F" word in the conversation with him.
A close reading of the Globe article, and I guarantee a lot of people read the article closely, shows Nodler indulging in some highly questionable behavior, no matter whose account of the incident is closer to the truth.
There is absolutely no doubt that Nodler was trying to use his power as a state senator to have Ms. Richardson fired from her job at Skills Unlimited. He wants "a formal apology" the Globe said. To me, that smacks of someone who is in a position of power and wants to lord it over a college student who had the courage to speak out about the senator's behavior even at the risk of her livelihood. Let's face it, if she is fired from this position, who else is going to want to hire her and get on Nodler's bad side?
The article indicates that once Nodler gets mad, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He contacted the Joplin Regional Center to tell the girl's supervisor, who, according to the article, is backing Ms. Richardson. Guess whose funds are going to be cut even more next year?
My favorite part of the article is where Nodler says he is willing to take a polygraph test and asks the Globe to pay for it. Now that's sad when a public official is so used to having everything bought and paid for by others that it doesn't even occur to him to spend his own money to protect his reputation.
You can find the article at:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=200419&PHPSESSID=7c41d3d30a244890ed279bc2e0b7c207
During the time three years ago when education funding was reaching a crisis situation, I attended a meeting at which Nodler's name was brought up. An area superintendent said Nodler had told school administrators that what they wanted did not matter. He was at Jefferson City to do what Leggett & Platt (the biggest contributor to Republican campaigns in Missouri and one of the biggest in the nation) wanted him to do.
I e-mailed Nodler at that time, told him of the comment and asked for a response. Three years have passed, Gary, and I'm still waiting.
What brought these fond remembrances of my state senator to mind was the article written by Max McCoy, Joplin Globe investigative reporter for today's edition. For those who have not read the article, Nodler apparently threw a fit when he was unable to enjoy the movie "Fantastic Four" because of noise created by a handful of developmentally disabled adults.
The caregiver who was responsible for those adults, Amanda Richardson, apparently got into a verbal clash with Nodler. Who was at fault depends on which person you believe. She claims Nodler said that "people like that shouldn't be allowed in places (such as movie theaters)," according to the Globe account.
Nodler claims Ms. Richardson used the "F" word in the conversation with him.
A close reading of the Globe article, and I guarantee a lot of people read the article closely, shows Nodler indulging in some highly questionable behavior, no matter whose account of the incident is closer to the truth.
There is absolutely no doubt that Nodler was trying to use his power as a state senator to have Ms. Richardson fired from her job at Skills Unlimited. He wants "a formal apology" the Globe said. To me, that smacks of someone who is in a position of power and wants to lord it over a college student who had the courage to speak out about the senator's behavior even at the risk of her livelihood. Let's face it, if she is fired from this position, who else is going to want to hire her and get on Nodler's bad side?
The article indicates that once Nodler gets mad, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He contacted the Joplin Regional Center to tell the girl's supervisor, who, according to the article, is backing Ms. Richardson. Guess whose funds are going to be cut even more next year?
My favorite part of the article is where Nodler says he is willing to take a polygraph test and asks the Globe to pay for it. Now that's sad when a public official is so used to having everything bought and paid for by others that it doesn't even occur to him to spend his own money to protect his reputation.
You can find the article at:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=200419&PHPSESSID=7c41d3d30a244890ed279bc2e0b7c207
Blunt aligned with pro-voucher movement
Our governor says he does not support educational vouchers, but calling them by some other name doesn't change what they are.
An article in today's Kansas City Star details how Matt Blunt has become the darling of the national school choice movement. The article said, "Friday, Blunt was scheduled as the keynote dinner speaker for an invitation-only conference of about 150 leaders and activists for All Children Matter, hosted in Siverthorne, Colo. The group was picking up the tab for his trip, said Blunt spokeswoman Jessica Robinson."
All Children Matter is a pro school choice organization that poured more than $400,000 into Missouri political campaigns last year and reportedly considers this state ripe for the plucking as far as vouchers are concerned and that is probably true.
You can find the article at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12326320.htm
An article in today's Kansas City Star details how Matt Blunt has become the darling of the national school choice movement. The article said, "Friday, Blunt was scheduled as the keynote dinner speaker for an invitation-only conference of about 150 leaders and activists for All Children Matter, hosted in Siverthorne, Colo. The group was picking up the tab for his trip, said Blunt spokeswoman Jessica Robinson."
All Children Matter is a pro school choice organization that poured more than $400,000 into Missouri political campaigns last year and reportedly considers this state ripe for the plucking as far as vouchers are concerned and that is probably true.
You can find the article at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12326320.htm
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Former Joplin State Farm agent wins lawsuit
A jury awarded five former State Farm Insurance agents, including Joseph J. Kelly, Joplin, $20 million, in a wrongful termination case tried in Jackson County, according to an Associated Press article.
The jury backed the former agents, who said they were fired after they criticized the way the company was treating its policyholders.
According to the article, the five former agents were fired after signing a letter to the Texas insurance commissioner which alleged "that the company overcharged for homeowner's insurance, engaged in sales discrimination and attempted to defraud accident victims of the full amount they were due."
The jury backed the former agents, who said they were fired after they criticized the way the company was treating its policyholders.
According to the article, the five former agents were fired after signing a letter to the Texas insurance commissioner which alleged "that the company overcharged for homeowner's insurance, engaged in sales discrimination and attempted to defraud accident victims of the full amount they were due."
News-Leader editorializes on Marian Days
The annual Marian Days observance in Carthage is the subject of today's lead editorial in the Springfield News-Leader. You can find it at:
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050806/OPINIONS01/508060303/1091
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050806/OPINIONS01/508060303/1091
Bureau reopening delayed by background checks
Today's Kansas City Star says that the Kansas City motor vehicle bureau, which has not been open since June 30, may not be open again for a while as a background check is conducted on a non-profit group that will be operating it.
Director of Revenue Trish Vincent said she expects the office to be open by the end of the month.
Apparently, this not-for-profit organization didn't contribute any money to Governor Blunt's campaign.
Director of Revenue Trish Vincent said she expects the office to be open by the end of the month.
Apparently, this not-for-profit organization didn't contribute any money to Governor Blunt's campaign.
HB 420 to be topic during special session
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports today that Governor Blunt will ask the Missouri General Assembly to "fix some of the problems he acknowledges with HB 420." If you remember, the governor signed the bill even though it included a passage that could end up removing all public records from the Internet.
The problem is a provision that would require the removal of phone numbers and personal information about elected officials from the Internet. Since it would be difficult to know just who might be a public official, most government agencies would likely opt to remove all records to keep from violating the law. This would cover everything from real estate records to a city councilman arrested for drunk driving.
For some reason, Blunt signed the bill anyway, then said he would have the legislature fix it. It should be interesting to see if our elected representatives do anything about it since it would prevent the public from being able to effectively research them.
The special session will also deal with abortion issues and with getting the penalty requirements on the new drunk driving laws straightened out so there are not any conflicts.
The problem is a provision that would require the removal of phone numbers and personal information about elected officials from the Internet. Since it would be difficult to know just who might be a public official, most government agencies would likely opt to remove all records to keep from violating the law. This would cover everything from real estate records to a city councilman arrested for drunk driving.
For some reason, Blunt signed the bill anyway, then said he would have the legislature fix it. It should be interesting to see if our elected representatives do anything about it since it would prevent the public from being able to effectively research them.
The special session will also deal with abortion issues and with getting the penalty requirements on the new drunk driving laws straightened out so there are not any conflicts.
Governor to appear on O'Reilly Factor
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt will discuss laws dealing with sex offenders during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "O'Reilly Factor" 7 p.m. Monday, according to Jo Mannies' column in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The show is repeated at 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.
O'Reilly criticized Blunt and Missouri on his July 11 and July 27 programs for the state's dismal record where sex offenders are concerned.
O'Reilly criticized Blunt and Missouri on his July 11 and July 27 programs for the state's dismal record where sex offenders are concerned.
Bond answers pork barrel criticism
During a stop in Cape Girardeau Friday, U. S. Senator Kit Bond answered criticism that the recently passed federal highway plan was filled with pork barrel projects. You can read the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian article at:
http://semissourian.rustcom.net/story/1112866.html
http://semissourian.rustcom.net/story/1112866.html
Friday, August 05, 2005
Woman can't sue Army for sexual assault by recruiter
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth District ruled Thursday that an Oklahoma woman could not sue the U. S. Army after she was sexually assaulted by one of its recruiters.
Priscilla Olsen brought the lawsuit following the attack by recruiter Kelvin Key on March 27, 2001, according to the decision. The district court dismissed the case, saying the Army was not liable in the case. The appellate panel backed that decision.
Ms. Olsen met Sgt. Key two days before the assault, the decision said. He gave her a practice test which she failed. He gave her a ride home from the office. "During the car ride, Key mentioned to Ms. Olsen that he could help her out by giving her some practice tests. Key phoned Ms. Olsen that evening and told her once again that he could help her to pass her exam. Also, during the phone conversation Key asked Ms. Olsen if she liked to fish and she responded in the affirmative."
Two days later, he called and asked her if she would go fishing with him later that day. She asked if he would help her prepare for the tests and he said he would. He picked her up in a black jeep with Army stickers on it, the decision said. "Sgt Key asked explicit questions about Ms. Olsen's sexual activity and offered to orally stimulate her." Then he began satisfying himself.
He climbed out of the Jeep, opened the passenger door, then began "kissing Ms. Olsen's breasts, rubbing her crotch and tried to remove her clothes." She finally was able to pull away from him and walked away. He returned to the Jeep and eventually drove her home, according to the decision.
"On the way home, Sgt. Key stated that he and Ms. Olsen were going to have sex and made another advance to which Ms. Olsen pulled away. He asked Ms. Olsen not to tell anyone or he would risk losing his job with the Army."
She reported the assault to the recruitment office supervisor later that day, the decision said, and also reported it to the Pittsburg County Sheriff's Department. The investigators were told "specifically that the Army had previously received a complaint of sexual assault against Mr. Key. Also, the Army admitted that they did not investigate this previous complaint because they did not believe the complainant."
The decision says the Army did not dispute that Key assaulted Ms. Olsen. "The United States has also admitted that Key's conduct toward Olsen violated Army restrictions on inappropriate contacts with recruits, including an Army regulation prohibiting any personal relationship or social contact between a recruiter and a potential recruit." Key had undergone training in which those rules were specifically mentioned.
Key was eventually court-martialed and discharged from the Army, the decision said.
One of Ms. Olsen's key points was that the Army had received the earlier complaint and had not followed up on it. The decision spelled out the reasoning used by Ms. Olsen's lawyer. "The United States failed to investigate and/or report any prior complaints made against Mr. Key. It was foreseeable that Mr. Key had the propensity to do the same thing again. Thus, the government should be held liable in this case for its negligence in hiring, retention, and supervision of Mr. Kelvin Key."
That argument did not wash with the judges. The decision reads, "Ms. Olsen's analysis is unconvincing."
Priscilla Olsen brought the lawsuit following the attack by recruiter Kelvin Key on March 27, 2001, according to the decision. The district court dismissed the case, saying the Army was not liable in the case. The appellate panel backed that decision.
Ms. Olsen met Sgt. Key two days before the assault, the decision said. He gave her a practice test which she failed. He gave her a ride home from the office. "During the car ride, Key mentioned to Ms. Olsen that he could help her out by giving her some practice tests. Key phoned Ms. Olsen that evening and told her once again that he could help her to pass her exam. Also, during the phone conversation Key asked Ms. Olsen if she liked to fish and she responded in the affirmative."
Two days later, he called and asked her if she would go fishing with him later that day. She asked if he would help her prepare for the tests and he said he would. He picked her up in a black jeep with Army stickers on it, the decision said. "Sgt Key asked explicit questions about Ms. Olsen's sexual activity and offered to orally stimulate her." Then he began satisfying himself.
He climbed out of the Jeep, opened the passenger door, then began "kissing Ms. Olsen's breasts, rubbing her crotch and tried to remove her clothes." She finally was able to pull away from him and walked away. He returned to the Jeep and eventually drove her home, according to the decision.
"On the way home, Sgt. Key stated that he and Ms. Olsen were going to have sex and made another advance to which Ms. Olsen pulled away. He asked Ms. Olsen not to tell anyone or he would risk losing his job with the Army."
She reported the assault to the recruitment office supervisor later that day, the decision said, and also reported it to the Pittsburg County Sheriff's Department. The investigators were told "specifically that the Army had previously received a complaint of sexual assault against Mr. Key. Also, the Army admitted that they did not investigate this previous complaint because they did not believe the complainant."
The decision says the Army did not dispute that Key assaulted Ms. Olsen. "The United States has also admitted that Key's conduct toward Olsen violated Army restrictions on inappropriate contacts with recruits, including an Army regulation prohibiting any personal relationship or social contact between a recruiter and a potential recruit." Key had undergone training in which those rules were specifically mentioned.
Key was eventually court-martialed and discharged from the Army, the decision said.
One of Ms. Olsen's key points was that the Army had received the earlier complaint and had not followed up on it. The decision spelled out the reasoning used by Ms. Olsen's lawyer. "The United States failed to investigate and/or report any prior complaints made against Mr. Key. It was foreseeable that Mr. Key had the propensity to do the same thing again. Thus, the government should be held liable in this case for its negligence in hiring, retention, and supervision of Mr. Kelvin Key."
That argument did not wash with the judges. The decision reads, "Ms. Olsen's analysis is unconvincing."
Schlup involved with alleged pyramid scheme
Whatever happened to people just making their fortune the old fashioned way by earning it?
On Aug. 22, Kimberly Schlup, 41, Deerfield, goes on trial charged with stealing more than $77,000 from Barton County Memorial Hospital in Lamar when she was finance director at that institution.
Earlier today, a reader sent me a web page, which has the same woman attempting to interest people in something called Liberty League International. You've all heard of operations like Liberty League. Someone starts them and makes money from investors who are supposed to make money by enticing more people to join with the original founders continuing to get a percentage of each one.
It didn't look right when Mr. Ponzi first introduced the scheme to the United States and it doesn't look right now.
Better Business Bureau does not come right out and call Liberty League a pyramid scheme, but it does everything but. According to the bureau's website, "This company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to a pattern of complaints. Specifically, complaints allege misrepresentation of the products or services offered by the company. Complaints also concern requests for refunds."
It's also a bad sign when the Bureau requests information from Liberty and it doesn't bother to respond. According to the bureau's report, "Prospective investors should carefully examine a multi-level sales program to be reasonably certain it is not a pyramid scheme which emphasizes recruitment of distributors rather than retail sale of the product." From all appearances, that is exactly what Liberty League is.
"Anyone who participates in these programs could also be subject to criminal prosecution," the Better Business Bureau says.
On Aug. 22, Kimberly Schlup, 41, Deerfield, goes on trial charged with stealing more than $77,000 from Barton County Memorial Hospital in Lamar when she was finance director at that institution.
Earlier today, a reader sent me a web page, which has the same woman attempting to interest people in something called Liberty League International. You've all heard of operations like Liberty League. Someone starts them and makes money from investors who are supposed to make money by enticing more people to join with the original founders continuing to get a percentage of each one.
It didn't look right when Mr. Ponzi first introduced the scheme to the United States and it doesn't look right now.
Better Business Bureau does not come right out and call Liberty League a pyramid scheme, but it does everything but. According to the bureau's website, "This company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to a pattern of complaints. Specifically, complaints allege misrepresentation of the products or services offered by the company. Complaints also concern requests for refunds."
It's also a bad sign when the Bureau requests information from Liberty and it doesn't bother to respond. According to the bureau's report, "Prospective investors should carefully examine a multi-level sales program to be reasonably certain it is not a pyramid scheme which emphasizes recruitment of distributors rather than retail sale of the product." From all appearances, that is exactly what Liberty League is.
"Anyone who participates in these programs could also be subject to criminal prosecution," the Better Business Bureau says.
McCoy byline back in Joplin Globe
Max McCoy appears to be back in the fold as the Joplin Globe's investigative reporter. McCoy's byline will be featured in the Saturday Globe on a feature on Hiroshima. McCoy has an interview with a 90-year-old who once served as a speechwriter to President Truman.
It will be interesting to see what projects McCoy ends up doing.
It will be interesting to see what projects McCoy ends up doing.
Globe running story on 60th anniversary
The Saturday edition of The Joplin Globe will include an article written by Wally Kennedy on the 60th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Of course, that decision was made by Lamar's most famous native son, Harry S Truman, who had been president less than four months at the time.
I will be interested in seeing if the anniversary is mentioned in the Saturday Lamar Democrat.
Of course, that decision was made by Lamar's most famous native son, Harry S Truman, who had been president less than four months at the time.
I will be interested in seeing if the anniversary is mentioned in the Saturday Lamar Democrat.
Boyd featured in Radio and Television Business Report
Larry Boyd, market manager for Zimmer Radio Group in Joplin was profiled as one of the people "who make a difference," in this month's print edition of Radio and TV Business Report.
Radio and TV personnel were nominated by staff members or others for recognition. The person who nominated Boyd said, "Larry does an excellent job of working in the day to day business of radio, while at the same time encouraging all employees to strive to be the best in our industry. His commitment is just one factor contributing to the fact that we won the Small Business of the Year award from the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce."
The article also says, "Larry G. Boyd's commitment to excellence is transferred to every employee at Zimmer Radio Group, Joplin. When members of management focus on continual improvement and investing in their people, anything is attainable."
Zimmer owns four stations in Joplin, including 92.5, KIX 102, Big Dog 97, and KJMK-FM.
Radio and TV personnel were nominated by staff members or others for recognition. The person who nominated Boyd said, "Larry does an excellent job of working in the day to day business of radio, while at the same time encouraging all employees to strive to be the best in our industry. His commitment is just one factor contributing to the fact that we won the Small Business of the Year award from the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce."
The article also says, "Larry G. Boyd's commitment to excellence is transferred to every employee at Zimmer Radio Group, Joplin. When members of management focus on continual improvement and investing in their people, anything is attainable."
Zimmer owns four stations in Joplin, including 92.5, KIX 102, Big Dog 97, and KJMK-FM.
Remembering those great cheeseburgers
I never knew Jim Slinker that well, but when I saw the news about his death in Wednesday's Lamar Democrat, it brought to mind one of my best memories of my first stint at the Democrat, when it was a daily newspaper back in the summer of 1978.
Once or twice a week, I would drive east on 160 or 12th Street and pick up a couple of cheeseburgers at Slinker's Burger and Shake. Sometimes there would be a long wait, but it was worth it. Maybe I'm just one of those people you run into all the time who think everything was better back in the good old days, but I can't remember cheeseburgers tasting any better than they did at Slinker's.
Once or twice a week, I would drive east on 160 or 12th Street and pick up a couple of cheeseburgers at Slinker's Burger and Shake. Sometimes there would be a long wait, but it was worth it. Maybe I'm just one of those people you run into all the time who think everything was better back in the good old days, but I can't remember cheeseburgers tasting any better than they did at Slinker's.
September wedding planned for KSN reporter
Kim Moore was recently promoted from being southeast Kansas reporter to weekend anchor, but she has even bigger news coming in the future.
Miss Moore, a 2000 graduate of Webb City High School, will marry Joshua Eckerman, another 2000 Webb City alumnus next month, according to today's Webb City Sentinel.
Eckerman is majoring in biology at MSSU and works at Westco, while Ms. Moore graduated from MSSU with a bachelor's degree in communications.
Miss Moore, a 2000 graduate of Webb City High School, will marry Joshua Eckerman, another 2000 Webb City alumnus next month, according to today's Webb City Sentinel.
Eckerman is majoring in biology at MSSU and works at Westco, while Ms. Moore graduated from MSSU with a bachelor's degree in communications.
Great Southern completes bank acquisitions
Springfield-based Great Southern Bancorp completed the purchase of branches in Camdenton, Climax Springs, and Greenview from People's Bank of the Ozarks. The bank now has 34 branches in southwest and central Missouri.
Anniversary of Truman decision is Saturday
Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the day when President Harry S Truman made the momentous decision to bomb Japan. Washington Times columnist Wes Pruden examined the Lamar native's decision today in his latest column. You can find it at:
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/pruden080505.asp
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/pruden080505.asp
Cable One subscription numbers down
Cable One has lost 9,100 customers during the past year, according to documents filed today by its parent company, The Washington Post, with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
At the end of June 30, 2004, Cable One, which has the city of Joplin's cable franchise, had 711,900 subscribers. That number had dropped to 702,800 by the end of June 2005. The drop was due to competition from satellite, according to the document.
Despite that drop, Cable One's revenue was up two percent for the second quarter, at $129.1 million, compared to $126.4 million in 2004. Revenue for the first half of the year was up three percent to $255.3 million, according to the document.
Operating income was down six percent in the second quarter to $23.6 million, compared to $25.2 million last year.
The company has benefited from an increase in high-speed internet customers, which has lifted its revenue generating units (the total of basic video, digital video and cable modem subscribers) to 1
The company reiterated that it did not plan to raise cable rates in 2005.
At the end of June 30, 2004, Cable One, which has the city of Joplin's cable franchise, had 711,900 subscribers. That number had dropped to 702,800 by the end of June 2005. The drop was due to competition from satellite, according to the document.
Despite that drop, Cable One's revenue was up two percent for the second quarter, at $129.1 million, compared to $126.4 million in 2004. Revenue for the first half of the year was up three percent to $255.3 million, according to the document.
Operating income was down six percent in the second quarter to $23.6 million, compared to $25.2 million last year.
The company has benefited from an increase in high-speed internet customers, which has lifted its revenue generating units (the total of basic video, digital video and cable modem subscribers) to 1
The company reiterated that it did not plan to raise cable rates in 2005.
Meerwald hearing set
The next step in Edward Meerwald's attempt to have his involuntary manslaughter conviction overturned will take place during a 9 a.m. Oct. 4 hearing in McDonald County Circuit Court.
Meerwald, the drunk driver whose vehicle left the road and killed James Dodson, 68, Neosho, and his eight-year-old granddaughter Jessica Mann, Joplin, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty March 11 in McDonald County Circuit Court, where the case was moved on a change of venue from Newton County. Meerwald now claims he only pleaded guilty because he was told if he didn't, he would have armed criminal action charges filed against him.
Taxpayers will pay for Meerwald's attempt to get out of his prison sentence. Anne R. Wells, Neosho, has been appointed to serve as a public defender for Meerwald, according to court records.
Meerwald, the drunk driver whose vehicle left the road and killed James Dodson, 68, Neosho, and his eight-year-old granddaughter Jessica Mann, Joplin, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty March 11 in McDonald County Circuit Court, where the case was moved on a change of venue from Newton County. Meerwald now claims he only pleaded guilty because he was told if he didn't, he would have armed criminal action charges filed against him.
Taxpayers will pay for Meerwald's attempt to get out of his prison sentence. Anne R. Wells, Neosho, has been appointed to serve as a public defender for Meerwald, according to court records.
Wyrick trial postponed
The trial of a Joplin teen charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident in connection with the January death of Joplin High School senior Jamison Alexander has been postponed once again.
During a hearing today, the trial of Travis Wyrick, 19, has been pushed back to Sept. 19 at the earliest, according to Jasper County Circuit Court records.
During a hearing today, the trial of Travis Wyrick, 19, has been pushed back to Sept. 19 at the earliest, according to Jasper County Circuit Court records.
Article: Staffers for Blunts connected with shady group
The advocacy group Campaign for a Cleaner Congress released an article today linking staff members and former staff members of Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt and his son, Governor Matt Blunt with an organization that is under investigation.
You can read the article at:
http://www.cleanercongress.org/mo/blunt/20050805/
You can read the article at:
http://www.cleanercongress.org/mo/blunt/20050805/
Letter writer criticizes Missouri governor
While one letter writer, Missouri Department of Revenue Director Trish Vincent was placing the blame on former Governor Bob Holden for the senseless mountain of paperwork Missourians are required to bring just to renew their driver's license, another Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian letter writer was taking current Governor Matt Blunt to task. You can read the letter at:
http://semissourian.rustcom.net/story/1112739.html
http://semissourian.rustcom.net/story/1112739.html
Vincent: Driver's license info not required by feds
I (and many others) have apparently been wrong when blaming the federal government for the ridiculous amount of material Missourians have to bring to driver's license fee offices when it is time to get a license or a renewal.
Check out Missouri Department of Revenue Director Trish Vincent's letter to the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian. Apparently, according to Ms. Vincent, we can point the finger of blame directly at our state legislature and former Governor Bob Holden.
You can see the letter at:
http://semissourian.rustcom.net/story/1112738.html
Check out Missouri Department of Revenue Director Trish Vincent's letter to the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian. Apparently, according to Ms. Vincent, we can point the finger of blame directly at our state legislature and former Governor Bob Holden.
You can see the letter at:
http://semissourian.rustcom.net/story/1112738.html
Student poses a good question
I was just checking out the blog of one of my students from last year, Arielle Ideker, who will be a freshman at Joplin High School this fall.
She asks a thought-provoking question: "How is it that you can get away with a terrorist attack in the U.S. and yet when you do it in London, it takes about a month for the people responsible to be caught?"
Of course, quite a few of the people who were responsible for 9-11 are no longer on this earth, but people like Osama bin Laden have been at large for nearly four years. Thankfully, we were able to get Saddam Hussein, who had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks.
She asks a thought-provoking question: "How is it that you can get away with a terrorist attack in the U.S. and yet when you do it in London, it takes about a month for the people responsible to be caught?"
Of course, quite a few of the people who were responsible for 9-11 are no longer on this earth, but people like Osama bin Laden have been at large for nearly four years. Thankfully, we were able to get Saddam Hussein, who had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks.
Fort Scott in running for power plant site
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Fort Scott has entered the competition to be the site of a new coal-fired Westar power plant.
The application was hand-delivered to Westar last week by Don Russell, the city's public works director.
You can read more at:
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/080505/bus_powerplant.shtml
The application was hand-delivered to Westar last week by Don Russell, the city's public works director.
You can read more at:
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/080505/bus_powerplant.shtml
Thursday, August 04, 2005
KMOX, Cardinals offer versions of split
The decision was announced earlier today that after 52 years the St. Louis Cardinals and KMOX are going to go their separate ways at the end of the current season.
Those interested in reading what KMOX said may go to:
http://www.kmox.com/news/article.php?id=17057
The Cardinals' version can be found at:
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050804&content_id=1158163&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl
I wrote my memories of Cardinal baseball and KMOX a few days ago. You can find them at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/few-thoughts-about-kmox-and-cardinals.html
St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell reflects on the decision. You can find the column at:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/bryanburwell/story/39402D8ADF6A2C7B862570540014AC46?OpenDocument
Those interested in reading what KMOX said may go to:
http://www.kmox.com/news/article.php?id=17057
The Cardinals' version can be found at:
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050804&content_id=1158163&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl
I wrote my memories of Cardinal baseball and KMOX a few days ago. You can find them at:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/few-thoughts-about-kmox-and-cardinals.html
St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell reflects on the decision. You can find the column at:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/bryanburwell/story/39402D8ADF6A2C7B862570540014AC46?OpenDocument
Blunt PAC pouring money into Katherine Harris
Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt's "Rely on Your Beliefs" political action committee has donated $16,500 to Florida Congresswoman Katherine Harris and is likely to add more to her coffers as she challenges Bill Nelson in the U. S. Senate race.
Many other candidates have received money from the Blunt PAC including Rep. Sam Graves $35,000, Senator Jim Talent $12,500, and Congressman Jim Ryun, R-Kansas $10,000.
The largest amount, $37,000 went to New Mexico Republican Heather Wilson who received a strong challenge in the 2004 election.
Federal Election Commission records on the Blunt PAC, at a quick glance, show at least $100,000 in donations from lobbyists.
Many other candidates have received money from the Blunt PAC including Rep. Sam Graves $35,000, Senator Jim Talent $12,500, and Congressman Jim Ryun, R-Kansas $10,000.
The largest amount, $37,000 went to New Mexico Republican Heather Wilson who received a strong challenge in the 2004 election.
Federal Election Commission records on the Blunt PAC, at a quick glance, show at least $100,000 in donations from lobbyists.
Skelton may be targeted by labor groups
The vote of Fourth District Congressman Ike Skelton, D-Lexington, to support the Central American Free Trade Agreement was crucial in its 217-215 passage and he may end up in a primary fight in 2006 because of it.
AFL-CIO officials are strongly considering finding candidates to oppose the Democrats who crossed the aisle to vote for CAFTA, according to an article on the International Labor Contractors Association website.
Skelton was a particular target because of his leadership role in the House, the article said.
“Two more Democrats vote against CAFTA and we win,” Fire Fighters President Harold Schaitberger said in the article. “And to have one member of the Democratic leadership vote for it is outrageous." Skelton is the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
AFL-CIO officials are strongly considering finding candidates to oppose the Democrats who crossed the aisle to vote for CAFTA, according to an article on the International Labor Contractors Association website.
Skelton was a particular target because of his leadership role in the House, the article said.
“Two more Democrats vote against CAFTA and we win,” Fire Fighters President Harold Schaitberger said in the article. “And to have one member of the Democratic leadership vote for it is outrageous." Skelton is the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Democrat editor takes on Joplin Globe
In her column in Wednesday's edition, Lamar Democrat editor Rayma Bekebrock Davis criticized The Joplin Globe for its Sunday page one rumorfest about O'Sullivan Industries. She started her column by saying, "Every newspaper, and I don't care what the size, has slow news days, but I have never seen a non-tabloid newspaper use gossip to create a front page so-called story before, until an area paper recently used gossip concerning O'Sullivan Industries as the lead on the front page."
Now Mrs. Davis is an expert on slow news days, but she is right on the money about the quality of the Globe story, though her ridiculous refusal to tell what newspaper she was talking about limited the column's effect.
There were other parts of the column that made me cringe. "It is no wonder O'Sullivan's president, Bob Parker, has said he will not comment on rumors. Why should he? He and other members of the O'Sullivan management team have commented and made announcements whenever something was occurring." That quite simply is a Pollyanna attitude that has no basis in fact. Everytime bad news has come from Parker or other O'Sullivan officials, it has been accompanied with the caveat that it is all of part of some master scheme.
We lost $10 million, but that just means our plan will start bearing fruit during the fourth quarter.
We laid off 150 workers, but look at the sleep they will be able to catch up on.
I don't blame Bob Parker or the other O'Sullivan officials. It is the media's job to report on what happens, and that cannot be done when you simply sit around the office waiting for the next news release and then print it verbatim without any independent reporting. It has been almost a year since Daniel O'Sullivan, the son of O'Sullivan Industries founder Tom O"Sullivan resigned his position as chairman of the board and wrote a letter, which is a public document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, outlining some his reasons. If I remember that, that letter at one time was accessible (and may still be) through the O'Sullivan website.
Now Mrs. Davis makes an interesting point when she notes that the story coincided with a Globe telemarketing effort in Lamar, but this column comes off as sounding rather hollow. Neither the Globe nor the Democrat has done much of a service to Lamar with recent reporting on this subject.
***
This reminds me of another time when the Democrat took a strong stand against a Jasper County newspaper coming in and doing a scandal story about Lamar. In 1993, my fellow Carthage Press reporter Glenita Browning and I did a story about Lamar city officials wining and dining city officials across the state at the Thiebaud Auditorium and doing it illegally without a proper liquor license.
The story was interesting, though not earthshaking. There were people who were concerned, and rightfully so, about taxpayer money being spent on booze. We would not have sold many copies in Lamar, most likely, except that one city councilman went ballistic when Glenita interviewed him, taking the paranoid approach of "You're just an outside agitator causing to cause trouble," and "I don't have any comment on that," and other non-productive comments. Other city officials took the time to explain their reasoning, but the one with the problem, Councilman Doug Davis, Lamar Democrat publisher, took it further.
He wrote a page one commentary "From where I stand" in the next Lamar Democrat, using some of the same kind of words used in Mrs. Davis' column Wednesday. "It looks as if there is a smear coming." The rest of the column was in the same vein. He didn't mention The Carthage Press, but it didn't take long for people to find out what he was talking about. After that, we started selling papers briskly in Lamar and did for the next six years.
Now Mrs. Davis is an expert on slow news days, but she is right on the money about the quality of the Globe story, though her ridiculous refusal to tell what newspaper she was talking about limited the column's effect.
There were other parts of the column that made me cringe. "It is no wonder O'Sullivan's president, Bob Parker, has said he will not comment on rumors. Why should he? He and other members of the O'Sullivan management team have commented and made announcements whenever something was occurring." That quite simply is a Pollyanna attitude that has no basis in fact. Everytime bad news has come from Parker or other O'Sullivan officials, it has been accompanied with the caveat that it is all of part of some master scheme.
We lost $10 million, but that just means our plan will start bearing fruit during the fourth quarter.
We laid off 150 workers, but look at the sleep they will be able to catch up on.
I don't blame Bob Parker or the other O'Sullivan officials. It is the media's job to report on what happens, and that cannot be done when you simply sit around the office waiting for the next news release and then print it verbatim without any independent reporting. It has been almost a year since Daniel O'Sullivan, the son of O'Sullivan Industries founder Tom O"Sullivan resigned his position as chairman of the board and wrote a letter, which is a public document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, outlining some his reasons. If I remember that, that letter at one time was accessible (and may still be) through the O'Sullivan website.
Now Mrs. Davis makes an interesting point when she notes that the story coincided with a Globe telemarketing effort in Lamar, but this column comes off as sounding rather hollow. Neither the Globe nor the Democrat has done much of a service to Lamar with recent reporting on this subject.
***
This reminds me of another time when the Democrat took a strong stand against a Jasper County newspaper coming in and doing a scandal story about Lamar. In 1993, my fellow Carthage Press reporter Glenita Browning and I did a story about Lamar city officials wining and dining city officials across the state at the Thiebaud Auditorium and doing it illegally without a proper liquor license.
The story was interesting, though not earthshaking. There were people who were concerned, and rightfully so, about taxpayer money being spent on booze. We would not have sold many copies in Lamar, most likely, except that one city councilman went ballistic when Glenita interviewed him, taking the paranoid approach of "You're just an outside agitator causing to cause trouble," and "I don't have any comment on that," and other non-productive comments. Other city officials took the time to explain their reasoning, but the one with the problem, Councilman Doug Davis, Lamar Democrat publisher, took it further.
He wrote a page one commentary "From where I stand" in the next Lamar Democrat, using some of the same kind of words used in Mrs. Davis' column Wednesday. "It looks as if there is a smear coming." The rest of the column was in the same vein. He didn't mention The Carthage Press, but it didn't take long for people to find out what he was talking about. After that, we started selling papers briskly in Lamar and did for the next six years.
NRA Convention coming to St. Louis
The National Rifle Association will hold its annual convention in St. Louis April 13-17, 2007, media outlets are reporting.
Gov. Matt Blunt said the convention will “bring a significant economic boon for hotels, restaurants and other merchants,” according to Associated Press.
Gov. Matt Blunt said the convention will “bring a significant economic boon for hotels, restaurants and other merchants,” according to Associated Press.
Medicaid calls directed to Montana number
As if the cuts to Missouri Medicaid recipients weren't bad enough, Associated Press reports the Missouri Department of Social Services had a typo in its letter telling Medicaid recipients of the cuts and calls ended up being directed to a Montana woman's toll-free number.
The article says, "Many of the callers are older- some are weeping, others cursing- and don't understand when she tries to explain the mistake. So instead of hanging up on them, she has been listening."
Ironically, that is more than the pro-business at any cost mob that produced the Medicaid cuts have been willing to do.
The article says, "Many of the callers are older- some are weeping, others cursing- and don't understand when she tries to explain the mistake. So instead of hanging up on them, she has been listening."
Ironically, that is more than the pro-business at any cost mob that produced the Medicaid cuts have been willing to do.
Blog says Blunt did not violate Congressional gift ban
TPM Cafe, a Democratic-leaning blog, reports Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt was on a list of people who were to receive free meals at a restaurant owned by controversial lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Blunt, however, either did not eat at the restaurant or paid for his own meal, the post indicates. Find out who did accept the meals (the steaks cost $75) by checking out the post at:
http://warrenreports.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/8/4/152337/8867
Blunt, however, either did not eat at the restaurant or paid for his own meal, the post indicates. Find out who did accept the meals (the steaks cost $75) by checking out the post at:
http://warrenreports.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/8/4/152337/8867
Blunt touring Georgia today
Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt is on a political trip today, touring the Georgia Ports Authority to help former Georgia Congressman Max Burns, who is trying to regain the seat he lost last November to Democrat John Barrow.
Savannah TV station WTOC reports Burns said he is showing the majority whip that the ports are important. "The 12th District is new and still includes Savannah and the historic district and the ports, and it is my home and I look forward to working closely with the ports in the future." Burns was supposed to take Blunt on a tour of Savannah this evening, according to WTOC.
WTOC apparently provides full service, covering news, weather and ports.
Savannah TV station WTOC reports Burns said he is showing the majority whip that the ports are important. "The 12th District is new and still includes Savannah and the historic district and the ports, and it is my home and I look forward to working closely with the ports in the future." Burns was supposed to take Blunt on a tour of Savannah this evening, according to WTOC.
WTOC apparently provides full service, covering news, weather and ports.
Leggett & Platt division closes Tennessee plant
Assured Casting Corp. an independent division of The Leggett & Platt Aluminum Group will close its Rogersville, Tenn., plant at the end of September, according to an article in today's Memphis Commercial-Appeal. One hundred seventy-eight workers will lose their jobs, the article said.