Negotiations are underway between the federal government and former McDonald County sheriff's candidate and Seneca police officer Randy Hance, according to a motion filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
Hance's lawyer, Shawn Askinosie, Springfield, asked for Hance's trial, scheduled for April 25, to be delayed until Aug. 1, saying that negotiations were ongoing, and while the two sides have not agreed on anything yet, there is a strong possibility they will.
Askinosie also said the government has yet to provide him with a complete case file, and that he and his partner, Stacie Bilyeu, are involved in another case scheduled for April 25.
Hance has waived his right to a speedy trial, according to the motion.
Hance is being held without bond while awaiting trial on a weapons charge.
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I always appreciate the opportunity to speak highly of the kids who worked for me in the past and talk about some of their triumphs in the world of journalism and writing. Of those who worked for me at The Lamar Democrat, Peggy Brinkhoff went on to write for Country Music News and for Focus on the Family, Holly Sundy (now Willhite) is journalism teacher at Lamar High School, Cherie Thomas writes grant proposals for public school systems in Kansas and Missouri, and there were others.
At The Carthage Press, Michelle Reagan is a staff writer for the Jefferson City News-Tribune, Cait Purinton reports for the Topeka Capitol-Journal, and Stacy Rector is a reporter for a weekly newspaper in the Dallas, Texas, area.
Two young reporters worked for me at both The Democrat and The Carthage Press. Amy Lamb followed up her successful work at the Democrat, with a series of hard-hitting pieces while serving as lifestyles editor of The Press, including a study of sex offenders and in-person coverage of the execution of the man who murdered Harold and Melba Wampler of Jasper. The last I heard Amy was responsible for publications for Wal-Mart.
The other reporter who worked for me at both places was a young man whom I first met when he was a student at MSSC. Randee Kaiser, a Liberal High School graduate, mostly wrote sports during his time at The Democrat, though he also covered meetings of the Barton County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and other non-sports news. We were reunited at The Press when Managing Editor Neil Campbell hired him as sports editor in late 1991 after Randee graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He was still sports editor when I was named managing editor in December 1993. He moved from the sports desk to city government coverage.
I don't recall the exact date he left The Press, but he made a decision to enter an entirely new field and began working for then Chief Ed Ellefsen as a Carthage police officer. He has been there ever since. Randee was featured in an article in today's edition of The Mornin' Mail, the daily newsletter published by H. J. Johnson.
According to the article, Randee, who has risen in the ranks of CPD to detective, was the lead officer in a Jasper County Drug Task Force investigation that recently netted 15 arrests for sale of narcotics. One arrest was for the sale of Oxycontin, with the other 14 coming for the sale of methamphetamines.
The announcement of the success was made by CPD Chief Dennis Veach at Monday night's meeting of the City Council's Public Safety Committee.
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Hugh McVey, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO naturally disagrees with the Missouri General Assembly's decision to severely limit workmen's compensation, but he is right on the money with his guest column in today's Kansas City Star.
Despite the proclamations of our area Republican, pro-business at the expense of everyone else, legislators, there never was a crisis in the workmen's compensation program. As McVey points out, the fraud and abuses that legislators who supported the law gave as reasons for that support were already against the law.
Our local legislator also did not note, as McVey did in his article, that worker's comp claims have actually been on the decrease in the state. Perhaps having a strong worker's compensation program actually makes employers take extra care in providing their workers with a safe workplace.
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And while I'm at it, I might as well address another area that our local legislators considered to be of vital importance...tort reform. Apparently, if you believe them...and as you might guess, I don't, there has been a crisis of doctors leaving their practices in this state because of large jury awards that have increased malpractice insurance.
So a tort reform bill was railroaded through the legislature. What will happen in the meantime is an increase during the next few months before the bill takes effect in lawsuits being filed to get in under the deadline. Even knowing that this will stop in August will not keep the insurance industry from raising its rates.
And when the new law goes into effect, don't expect the insurance industry to lower those rates. We're stuck with them. The insurance industry has always been a big contributor to the Republican party and its profits have been protected at the expense of the consumer.
The Republicans were absolutely correct in their criticisms of joint and several liability, in which someone who is only one percent responsible for something can be forced to pay the entire cost simply because another defendant does not have any money. They were also correct to limit so-called venue shopping in which lawyers seek jurisdictions where juries have given plaintiffs large awards. These reforms were on the money.
The other parts of this "tort reform' were simply about the money.
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The Canadian government has placed a lien on former Hollinger International CEO Conrad Black's Palm Beach Mansion, according to an article in today's New York Post. Black owes $11 million in back taxes.
Black is under investigation in the U. S. and Canada for allegedly bilking Hollinger out of millions of dollars. Hollinger is the former owner of The Carthage Press and The Neosho Daily News.
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An Associated Press story that just came over the wires indicates that Governor Matt Blunt has spent more than $120,000 in renovating and equipping his office...during the same time he has been recommending cuts that would hurt the most vulnerable of Missouri's citizens.
The article indicates the governor spent about $75,000 for new computers and phones, including 28 desktop computers with flat-screen monitors, nine laptop computers, nine printers, four Blackberry wireless e-mail devices, and two fax machines.