The year 2007, as has been previously noted, was a busy one for The Turner Report,as the blog has continued to focus on stories that have gone unnoticed, undernoticed, or simply ignored, as well as providing links and offering commentary on information from other sources.
Some of the stories first featured during September 2007 in The Turner Report included:
Sept. 26- Two more defendants pleaded guilty in an identity fraud scheme that was underreported by the traditional media after the initial press release from the attorney general's office. The case pointed out the vulnerability of our personal information to unscrupulous workers in the state's Revenue and Social Services departments, and the slipshod way the government has of checking the backgrounds of its employees.
Sept. 26- Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, hired a powerful lobbyist to serve as his lawyer in the Isle of Capri case.
Sept. 25- This excerpt from The Turner Report book showed how the government and the media were in large part to blame for the November 2006 Anderson Guest House fire in which 11 people were killed.
Sept. 18- Speaker-elect Ron Richard, R-Joplin, has a number of lobbyists, some listed as "self-employed" included among his campaign donors.
Sept. 15- Eight Democrats, including recent newcomer to the party Chris Koster were among the 10 tabbed for the Missouri Senate version of The Turner Report's Hall of Shame, earning the honor by accepting the most gifts from lobbyists.
Sept. 15- This commentary made the point that the federal government disrespected Missourians with the way it handled the investigation of former Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau.
Sept. 14- Former Rep. Col. Jack Jackson paid $258,000 to a consulting firm with ties to Saudi Arabia and Enron. At the time, Jackson was considering a primary battle against Gov. Matt Blunt.
Sept. 12- The path to speaker-elect status for Rep. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, was lined with contributions from special interests and lobbyists.
Sept. 12- The Missouri Southern District Court of Appeals thwarted Freeman Health System's efforts to gain full control over Metro Emergency Transport System (METS).
Sept. 11- The Sept. 11 edition of the Joplin Globe featured no page-one coverage of Gen. Petraeus' report on Iraq, and no mention at all of the anniversary of 9-11, but did have a page one photo and story about Britney Spears.
Sept. 1- The Turner Report noted that the ill-fated visit to the Isle of Capri casino in which Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, Rep. Joe Aull, D-Kansas City, and lobbyist Lynne Schlosser were arrested for Smith's attempts to gamble with Aull's identification, was part of a lobbyist-financed junket, in which other legislators also participated, a bit of information which I cannot recall being featured anywhere else to this date.
Sept. 1- Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, has more than doubled the amount of gifts he received from lobbyists from 2006 to 2007.
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