It must be a slow business week in Joplin: Pac-Man Mania still top business story for Globe.

Judging from the business section on the Joplin Globe's website, not much is going on in the Joplin business community.

The lead story is still Wally Kennedy's riveting expose of a new business that offers the opportunity for its customers to play vintage video games such as Pac-Man.

Many of the articles on the business page of the website were written by veteran reporter Mike Surbrugg, who was unceremoniously given the boot and escorted off the premises, as were at least 14 of his colleagues, nine days ago. Not one word has been printed in the Globe about the firings. Yet not only did the Globe run an entire farm page created through Surbrugg's hard work three days after his dismissal, but its webpage is still promoting his work, including a picture of him smiling as if everything is warmth and sunshine at the newspaper.

I had hoped that Editor Carol Stark would finally address the issue in her column for the Sunday edition. But that column, which was posted earlier this afternoon, totally ignores the situation. Apparently, the Joplin Globe believes it is only news when someone else is getting rid of longtime employees.