Thanks to a judge's ruling earlier today, it will not be long before we learn exactly what is in the nine missing pages of investigator Tom Loraine's report- the nine pages that include the evidence that led five Joplin City Council members to vote to fire City Manager Mark Rohr.
Rohr's firing was the subject of a question from Joplin Globe reporter Wally Kennedy a few minutes ago during the candidate forum in the Corley Auditorium at Missouri Southern State University. Kennedy asked if the firing of Mark Rohr would discourage developers from coming to Joplin. The division on the council was mirrored in the candidates' answers with former mayor Mike Woolston, who voted for Rohr, saying his contacts in real estate tell him developers are steering clear of Joplin, while Councilwoman Trisha Raney, who voted to fire Rohr, saying the city has 500 excellent city employees and 50,000 citizens and "we don't rise and fall on one man."
Candidate responses:
Mike Seibert- Seibert said that things went well after the tornado. "There was confidence, but that confidence has greatly eroded. This is a critical election."
Gary Shaw- "I am embarrassed by the actions of the Joplin City Council the last few weeks. I got on the council to support the people we hired to run our city."
Ryan Stanley- " I am concerned turmoil is creating unnecessary problems. This is redeemable. We need to put this matter and personal agendas to bed."
Jim West- "It is time to move forward. I haven't heard of any business that is refusing to come to Joplin because of what is happening. Joplin is on the move."
Mike Woolston- "My contacts in the developing tell me are losing developers. We need to get this behind us."
Jack Golden- Golden criticized the comments of his fellow councilmen who were saying the Rohr decision was scaring away developers. "The Chamber of Commerce people are reporting just the opposite.
Harvey Hutchinson- Hutchinson said if Joplin has something great to offer a developer, that developer "is going to come no matter what fuss is going on at City Hall.
Miranda Lewis- "It is an understatement to say that I am concerned. We need to focus on moving Joplin into the future."
Trisha Raney- Ms. Raney said she had heard from local businessmen who thought the removal was not a bad thing and may offer an "opportunity for growth. We will all continue to move forward. We do not rise and fall on one man."
Monday, March 31, 2014
'Tis the season to be Wallace-Bajjali
To Joplin City Council candidate Harvey Hutchinson, the Wallace-Bajjali firm, is a "dog and pony show," but most of the candidates attending the forum at Missouri Southern State University appeared to be fully behind the city's master developer.
And no wonder.
Council members Trisha Raney and Mike Woolston noted that the city signed a five-year contract with Wallace-Bajjali and if it ended the contract, it would have to pay $3 million to $4 million.
The incumbent council members were supportive of Wallace-Bajjali, though a couple expressed reservations.
The answers came in response to a question from KOAM reporter Lisa Olliges, who asked if the council members would be willing to shake loose from Wallace-Bajjali if the time comes when no progress is being made in redevelopment of the city's tornado-stricken area.
The responses:
Miranda Lewis- Now is not the time to end the contract. We need to hold them accountable. When we see some progress, that will foster some support from the community.
Trisha Raney- I am hopeful this summer we will start seeing some dirt moving. If we ended the contract now it would cost the city $3 million. That is not an option."
Mike Seibert- (Wallace-Bajjali) has secured additional funding, over $4 million in state funds. We are going to see dirt move by summer.
Gary Shaw- We have to remember we hired the firm we thought was the best. They are on schedule.
Ryan Stanley- I have confidence in Wallace-Bajjali. They are living up to the promises that they had made. The City Council's job is to hold them accountable.
Jim West- I'm concerned that I have not seen a whole lot done. The city needs to hold them more accountable.
Mike Woolston- The community is impatient because they don't have a knowledge of how things should be done.
Jack Golden- We have projects announced that have never come through to maturity. We need to get out the right information. I haven't seen much willingness for them to put up their own money.
Harvey Hutchinson- I am very disappointed in Wallace-Bajjali. The library is one of the three or four most important buildings downtown and they are wanting to move it across town.
And no wonder.
Council members Trisha Raney and Mike Woolston noted that the city signed a five-year contract with Wallace-Bajjali and if it ended the contract, it would have to pay $3 million to $4 million.
The incumbent council members were supportive of Wallace-Bajjali, though a couple expressed reservations.
The answers came in response to a question from KOAM reporter Lisa Olliges, who asked if the council members would be willing to shake loose from Wallace-Bajjali if the time comes when no progress is being made in redevelopment of the city's tornado-stricken area.
The responses:
Miranda Lewis- Now is not the time to end the contract. We need to hold them accountable. When we see some progress, that will foster some support from the community.
Trisha Raney- I am hopeful this summer we will start seeing some dirt moving. If we ended the contract now it would cost the city $3 million. That is not an option."
Mike Seibert- (Wallace-Bajjali) has secured additional funding, over $4 million in state funds. We are going to see dirt move by summer.
Gary Shaw- We have to remember we hired the firm we thought was the best. They are on schedule.
Ryan Stanley- I have confidence in Wallace-Bajjali. They are living up to the promises that they had made. The City Council's job is to hold them accountable.
Jim West- I'm concerned that I have not seen a whole lot done. The city needs to hold them more accountable.
Mike Woolston- The community is impatient because they don't have a knowledge of how things should be done.
Jack Golden- We have projects announced that have never come through to maturity. We need to get out the right information. I haven't seen much willingness for them to put up their own money.
Harvey Hutchinson- I am very disappointed in Wallace-Bajjali. The library is one of the three or four most important buildings downtown and they are wanting to move it across town.
Reader: The arrogance of the Huff Administration will lead to its undoing
(A reader had some strong comments to make last night about the Joplin R-8 Schools and the C. J. Huff Administration.)
Nearly every district in the immediate area is outperforming Joplin. If that is the case, why debate? Why not do what Carl Junction or Webb City does? We're not talking different cultures here; if they can do it we should be able to at least approximate their success.
Graduation rates are apparently the most easily massaged. Let's not actually bow to the expertise of educators, let's pretend that a big personality and bullying your way to the top in "business" can substitute for knowledge. Let's pretend that friendships between administrators somehow translates to effective education, stretching legality in the interest of mutual backscratching.
When you look at the way things are done, from being inside the building in the middle of the night when registering for the ballot, to bloating administration and cutting education, to wasting more time and energy on political enemies than on the practical concerns of teaching... how can anyone look at this and see success? Only resident ball-boy Anson Burlingame is capable of those kinds of mental gymnastics, kissing the balls as he flips.
It is not wrong that some among our voting public want to give our leaders the benefit of the doubt, to try and look at things from both sides. The truth is there, however, in the student performance, in the barely-there accreditation last year, in the rejected federal funds due to "lack of transparency", in the teacher and principal turnover rate which is readily apparent to any parent of district students, in the sweeping away of Besendorfer, in the lawsuits against the district, and in the mere fact that such heated debate is taking place at all.
Some will say that there are always critics and bitter people. That may be, but where the bitter are truly extreme they do not gain traction. They remain on the outskirts and are laughed at or hated, not unlike the Westboro Baptist Church --- even people who agree with some of the WBC's beliefs tend to distance themselves from that church because of how extreme they are perceived to be.
Southernwatch and The Turner Report gain traction because there is something real there. When the problems as MSSU seemed to resolve with the elimination of Speck, so too did the internet debate die down. There is a relationship between smoke and fire, and while this relationship may seem obvious to some it requires pointing out in our current climate. There are those who either wish to deny it for personal and professional reasons (Huff, Flowers, Stark, etc.) and there are those who deny it do to a peculiar and otherwise inexplicable brand of self-delusion (Burlingame).
This situation with R-VIII will not be over regardless of how the school board election turns out, but it may move closer to resolution if we can issue a clear referendum on the Huff / Besendorfer / Flowers administration via the election of Fort, Koch, and Guilford.
This is what we build towards, moments where we can actually do something. I understand it will not be easy, especially difficult due to the influx of candidates, money, political influence, and deceptive practices. The little guys don't always win, but we have to try and keep trying even if we get knocked down.
Let us hope that the arrogance of this administration will contribute to its undoing. Just as they lacked the foresight to see that firing Randy Turner at all costs only made his influence that much greater - to the point that he is the biggest thorn in the side of Huff, Stark, et al - so too let us hope they have placed too much faith in their own "righteous cause," a cause which is ultimately nothing more than the big-fish-in-the-small-pond who are used to bullying their way around and have mistaken those successes for knowing what they are doing.
Bless this feast we are about to receive.
Amen.
Joplin lawyer pleads guilty to embezzling more than half a million from clients
Joplin lawyer Daniel Whitworth, 58, pleaded guilty today in federal court to embezzling $586,739.84 from clients between January 2004 and October 18, 2013.
A federal grand jury indicted Whitworth on the charge. He waived the reading of the indictment today and entered the guilty plea.
"In his capacity as an attorney, the defendant received funds from his clients for the explicit purpose of resolving legal matters. The defendant was required to deposit funds provided by his clients into his attorney trust account. The defendant's clients had authorized him to withdraw those funds to pay expenses related to or to resolve legal cases.
"The defendant maintained an attorney trust account at Mid-Missouri Bank. The defendant also maintained personal bank accounts with Southwest Missouri Bank and Commerce Bank.
"The defendant represented LP&F Trucking, Inc., who hired the defendant to settle a lawsuit with Lyddon Aero Center.
"At various times between January 2004 and October 18, 2013, the defendant took money from clients and deposited those funds into his attorney trust account, or a personal account. At various times, without the knowledge and approval of his clients, the defendant withdrew client funds from this trust account or a personal account to spend on personal expenses.
"These transactions resulted in a wire transmission between the defendant's accounts and either a client's accounts or the account of a party receiving an unauthorized payment.
"None of the defendant's clients gave the defendant authority to use any of the funds to pay his personal expenses."
According to the indictment, during an eight-day period in June 2012, Whitworth took $60,000 from LP&F Trucking, Inc.
He told the IRS he made only $40,242 in income for 2011, when he "well knew and believed, he had received additional unreported income of approximately $120,776."
Sentencing will take place at a later date.
(This is the news release from the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.)
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the Missouri Highway Patrol and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
A federal grand jury indicted Whitworth on the charge. He waived the reading of the indictment today and entered the guilty plea.
"In his capacity as an attorney, the defendant received funds from his clients for the explicit purpose of resolving legal matters. The defendant was required to deposit funds provided by his clients into his attorney trust account. The defendant's clients had authorized him to withdraw those funds to pay expenses related to or to resolve legal cases.
"The defendant maintained an attorney trust account at Mid-Missouri Bank. The defendant also maintained personal bank accounts with Southwest Missouri Bank and Commerce Bank.
"The defendant represented LP&F Trucking, Inc., who hired the defendant to settle a lawsuit with Lyddon Aero Center.
"At various times between January 2004 and October 18, 2013, the defendant took money from clients and deposited those funds into his attorney trust account, or a personal account. At various times, without the knowledge and approval of his clients, the defendant withdrew client funds from this trust account or a personal account to spend on personal expenses.
"These transactions resulted in a wire transmission between the defendant's accounts and either a client's accounts or the account of a party receiving an unauthorized payment.
"None of the defendant's clients gave the defendant authority to use any of the funds to pay his personal expenses."
According to the indictment, during an eight-day period in June 2012, Whitworth took $60,000 from LP&F Trucking, Inc.
He told the IRS he made only $40,242 in income for 2011, when he "well knew and believed, he had received additional unreported income of approximately $120,776."
Sentencing will take place at a later date.
(This is the news release from the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.)
Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Joplin, Mo., attorney pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing more than $586,000 from his clients.
Daniel D. Whitworth, 58, of Joplin, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a three-count federal information that charges him with wire fraud, money laundering and false statements on tax returns.
Whitworth was the owner of a law practice in Joplin. By pleading guilty today, Whitworth admitted that he embezzled approximately $586,739 from 22 of his legal clients between 2004 and Oct. 18, 2013. Whitworth spent these embezzled funds on personal loans and items unrelated to the legal matters of his clients.
Law enforcement officers investigated complaints made to the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel of the Missouri Supreme Court about Whitworth’s theft of client money. Investigators determined from bank records and speaking with former clients that Whitworth repeatedly took money from and for clients. He claimed that money would be used to resolve the matter that the client had pending before the court. In many instances, Whitworth deposited the client’s money either into his attorney trust account or into his personal bank accounts. After depositing his client’s money, Whitworth would then withdraw money and pay for personal expenses and items that were entirely unrelated to his client’s legal case.
Whitworth also admitted that he failed to report the embezzled funds on his personal income tax returns for the years 2009-2011, which the plea agreement says totaled $448,835. Whitworth did not file an income tax return for 2012, according to the plea agreement, and therefore did not report the embezzled funds during this year as well.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Whitworth must surrender his license to practice law in any and all jurisdictions and forfeit to the government a $586,739 money judgment.
Under federal statutes, Whitworth is subject to a sentence of up to 33 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $750,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Ron Richard contributes $10,000 to Hanaway campaign
Richard contributed $10,000 to the gubernatorial campaign of former Speaker of the House Catherine Hanaway, according to a 48-hour report filed today with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Common Core causes principal to home school his child
A courageous public school principal in the Hudson Valley is taking a stand against Common Core Standards.
Tim Farley is home schooling his youngest child. He explained his reasoning in a letter, which was reprinted in nationally known educator Diane Ravitch's blog:
My wife and I have finally hit the breaking point. We can no longer sit by and watch the educational system that has been co opted by Bill Gates and his corporate cronies in the name of “education reform”, harm our youngest child. Jessica and I are the parents of four wonderful children (7th, 5th, 3rd grade, and kindergarten). Although we would like to homeschool all of our children, due to several factors, we will only be homeschooling our youngest, John Paul.
John Paul is a bright and energetic boy. He was born with a heart defect, and at two years old had open heart surgery. As traumatic as that experience was for my wife and me, it didn’t seem to have any long lasting impact on him. He is a little spitfire. At least he was. He no longer likes going to school. In fact he hates going to school. It is not his teacher, as one of our older children had the same teacher and had a fantastic experience. It is the developmentally inappropriate standards and the “rigorous” demands placed on 5 year old children that has changed. Kindergarten is supposed to be a time of exploratory learning and developing social skills. Unfortunately, it has become an assembly line environment of “drill and kill”. The inane assignments that lack any sort of creativity have crushed his love of school.
Tim Farley is home schooling his youngest child. He explained his reasoning in a letter, which was reprinted in nationally known educator Diane Ravitch's blog:
My wife and I have finally hit the breaking point. We can no longer sit by and watch the educational system that has been co opted by Bill Gates and his corporate cronies in the name of “education reform”, harm our youngest child. Jessica and I are the parents of four wonderful children (7th, 5th, 3rd grade, and kindergarten). Although we would like to homeschool all of our children, due to several factors, we will only be homeschooling our youngest, John Paul.
John Paul is a bright and energetic boy. He was born with a heart defect, and at two years old had open heart surgery. As traumatic as that experience was for my wife and me, it didn’t seem to have any long lasting impact on him. He is a little spitfire. At least he was. He no longer likes going to school. In fact he hates going to school. It is not his teacher, as one of our older children had the same teacher and had a fantastic experience. It is the developmentally inappropriate standards and the “rigorous” demands placed on 5 year old children that has changed. Kindergarten is supposed to be a time of exploratory learning and developing social skills. Unfortunately, it has become an assembly line environment of “drill and kill”. The inane assignments that lack any sort of creativity have crushed his love of school.
This is what is being pushed on children and teachers.
Tim Jones: We're still fighting the good fight against federal overreaching
Earlier this year I established the Bipartisan Investigatory Committee on Regulatory Overreach to investigate the continued overreach of the government through excessive, burdensome regulations. I formed the committee in part because of the overwhelming number of Missourians who have expressed frustration at the amount of bureaucratic red tape that exists, and in part as a response to a controversy in Southeast Missouri regarding the federal government’s mismanagement of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
During our work on the budget this week, this topic emerged again as we discussed $6 million currently in the House spending plan to allow the state to manage the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in the event the National Park Service relinquishes control. The federal government has proposed a number of management plans for this beautiful part of Southeast Missouri that has angered local residents and businesses. They are upset because some of the plans have the potential to impose burdensome regulations that could harm the local economy. We put additional funding in the budget to position the state to manage this state treasure in the event we can regain control of the park from the federal government.
Later in the week the theme of fighting against federal overregulation emerged again as we discussed legislation that would push back against new federal regulations on wood-burning stoves. The bill (HB 1302) would prohibit our state natural resources department from putting any of these regulations in place without first receiving approval from the General Assembly. The bill is necessary because of a rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency that would give wood stove manufacturers a period of five years to reduce emissions from their products by approximately 80 percent. Manufacturers have complained that the new standards will cause costs to skyrocket and may result in many owners going out of business. By passing this change into law we can ensure only reasonable regulations will be put into place in our state, which will protect not only manufacturers but also the many Missourians who use wood-burning stoves.
The other piece of legislation discussed this week (HB 1631) is another effort to reject burdensome EPA regulations. The bill is meant to limit the impact of the proposed regulations on carbon emissions for existing coal-fired power plants. It is important to point out that we are a state that relies very heavily on coal for our energy needs. In fact, nearly 80 percent of our electricity is generated from coal. It is vital that we take steps to ensure the federal government cannot reach into our state and turn the lights off by putting excessively burdensome regulations in place on our energy providers.
HB 1631 would specify that the Air Conservation Commission, which is part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, will have the authority to develop emissions standards and compliance schedules under federal law. It is a change that would give the state the control and flexibility it needs to prevent potentially burdensome federal mandates from driving up prices for consumers.
Potential for heavy rainfall, flooding, severe thunderstorms this week
(From the National Weather Service)
KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-011945- BOURBON-CRAWFORD-CHEROKEE-BENTON-MORGAN-MILLER-MARIES-VERNON- ST. CLAIR-HICKORY-CAMDEN-PULASKI-PHELPS-BARTON-CEDAR-POLK-DALLAS- LACLEDE-TEXAS-DENT-JASPER-DADE-GREENE-WEBSTER-WRIGHT-NEWTON- LAWRENCE-CHRISTIAN-DOUGLAS-HOWELL-SHANNON-MCDONALD-BARRY-STONE- TANEY-OZARK-OREGON- 243 PM CDT MON MAR 31 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED... LIMITED HAIL RISK. LIMITED THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE RISK. LIMITED LIGHTNING RISK. LIMITED NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK. DISCUSSION... AN AREA OF SHOWERS WITH SOME EMBEDDED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON. THIS ACTIVITY WILL PUSH OUT OF THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. NO SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR WITH THIS ACTIVITY. STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS AND THE MISSOURI OZARKS TODAY WITH WINDS GUSTING UP TO 35 MPH OCCURRING ACROSS LOCATIONS WEST OF INTERSTATE 49 AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 54. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR TODAY PRIMARILY ASSOCIATED WITH THE WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS WESTERN MISSOURI AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS. FIRES IN OPEN GRASSLAND AREAS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO QUICKLY GROW AND SPREAD. A COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY PUSHING EAST ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS FRONT WILL PUSH INTO EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF THE FRONT. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS INTO FAR WESTERN MISSOURI THEN TRACK EAST THIS EVENING. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING GENERALLY WEST OF HIGHWAY 65. WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS WITH THIS ACTIVITY. INSTABILITY WILL DECREASE AFTER SUNSET AND ONLY GENERAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EAST OF HIGHWAY 65 LATER THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A SLOW MOVING...STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. A FEW STORMS LATE TUESDAY NIGHT COULD PRODUCE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS ACROSS PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI. A LIMITED THREAT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL THEN CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER...CONFIDENCE IN THE TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL FROM WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY REMAINS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF RAINFALL ARE ALSO LIKELY FROM LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND A LIMITED POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING IN LOCATIONS WHERE MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS TRACK. AS IS THE CASE WITH THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT...CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW AT THIS TIME REGARDING THE POTENTIAL PLACEMENT OF THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL.
McGrew pins campaign hopes on Joplin Globe
According to the eight-days-before-election reported filed moments ago with the Missouri Ethics Commission, McGrew spent $1,982.50 with the Joplin Globe, while spending $993.01 for signs from Sign Designs and $50 for Facebook ads.
McGrew received $2,350 in contributions since the 40-days-before report, with most of it coming from his fellow employees at Freeman Health.
Contributors listed on the report include the following:
James Boyle, Carl Junction, Freeman Health, $1,500
Paula Baker, Joplin, Freeman Health, $500
Richard Schooler, Seneca, Freeman Health, $100,
John and Nancy Good, Joplin, Waco Title, $100
The report shows that McGrew had $1,050 at the end of the last reporting period and spent $3,025.51, leaving him with $374.49. That amount has since been augmented with $723.06 from the secretive Joplin Progress Committee.
Randy Steele $18 in debt when Joplin Progress Committee bailed him out
Randy Steele's eight-day-before-election report, filed this morning with the Missouri Ethics Commission, shows he had only $10.02 cents left in his campaign account and was $18.40 in debt before he received another $723.06 from the secretive Joplin Progress Committee after the filing deadline.
Steele spent $1,859.98 of his money on yard signs from the Sign Shop in Webb City, according to the report. He had $1,495 at the beginning of the filing period, including $1,000 from the Joplin Progress Committee, received $380 in contributions, and spent $1,864.98. Steele does not say who gave him the $380.
As noted earlier in the Turner Report, Steele was not the only R-8 incumbent who allowed his reserves to end up in the same shape as they have left the school district. Board President Jeff Flowers had even less money, $5.40, in his account before the Joplin Progress Committee refreshed it with $723.06.
We still don't know who is footing the bill for Jeff Flowers' campaign
According to Flowers' financial disclosure report, filed this morning with the Missouri Ethics Commission, the Joplin R-8 Board of Education president was down to his last $5.40 (the district apparently wasn't the only entity with low cash reserves) when the Joplin Progress Committee made its contribution.
Since the 40 days before election report, Flowers spent $2,629.60, including $1,293 for signs from the Sign Shop in Webb City, and $392 for signs from Custom Window Clings in Newark, N. J.
He also spent $800 for advertising with 4 State Advertising, Joplin, and $116.42 for postage.
Flowers reported receiving $395 in contributions, but listed no names for any of the contributors.
At this point in the campaign, including the $723.06 the Joplin Progress Committee gave to his campaign last week, Jeff Flowers has received $3,368.06. He has not provided a name for any of his contributors, except for Judy Priddy, who gave $200. In addition to the $1,723.06 he has received from the secretive Joplin Progress Committee, Flowers has listed no names for $1,435 in contributions.
Billy Long: Government should cut red tape for manufacturers
Our nation’s manufacturing sector is key to creating jobs and growing our economy. Earlier this month I completed my annual manufacturing tour. I enjoy this annual tour because not only can I highlight the important work manufacturers and their employees are doing in our district, but I get to hear from them about what is working and what is hindering growth in their vital sector of the economy.
It should come as no surprise that over regulation is a dominant theme I hear when I visit manufacturers and other businesses in our district. These regulations are directly or indirectly the result of too much Washington regulation. Regulatory costs in America are difficult to measure because many of their effects are hidden, but it is estimated the cost is equal to over $14,000 per family, or 23 percent of a family’s average income. Often the cost of regulation is highest for small businesses that are ill-equipped to navigate the bureaucratic compliance procedures that accompany many regulations.
Charlie Davis on the budget and his kidney stone
Last week, the Missouri House of Representatives passed a balanced and fiscally responsible budget that contains the largest education budget in the state’s history, funds Medicaid reforms, and increases appropriations for business development while limiting wasteful spending.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Red flag warning for Joplin area today
(From the National Weather Service)
RED FLAG WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING... .STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH A DRY AIR MASS AND WARM TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON TO PRODUCE HAZARDOUS OUTDOOR BURNING CONDITIONS TODAY. KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>057-066>069-077>080-088-089-310100- /O.CON.KSGF.FW.W.0013.140330T1700Z-140331T0100Z/ BOURBON-CRAWFORD-CHEROKEE-BENTON-MORGAN-MILLER-VERNON-ST. CLAIR- HICKORY-CAMDEN-BARTON-CEDAR-POLK-DALLAS-JASPER-DADE- 941 AM CDT SUN MAR 30 2014
Joplin Progress Committee report- $5,000 to Woolston campaign, $12k in spending
The final candidate to be endorsed by the Joplin Progress Committee, incumbent City Councilman and former mayor Mike Woolston received $5,000 in contributions, according to the eight-day-before-election report filed this morning with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
The Progress Committee made separate $2,500 contributions to the Re-Elect Woolston, the Tornado Mayor Committee on March 12 and March 26, according to the report.
Since the 40 days before the election report, the committee raised $8,250 and spent $12,205.58, leaving it with $2,993.27 in the bank.
In addition to the earlier contributions of $5,000 to the other four city council candidates besides Woolston it is supporting and the $1,000 contributions to favored Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidates, the committee contributed $723.06 apiece to R-8 candidates Jeff Flowers, Randy Steele, Shawn McGrew, and Lynda Banwart that is not included in the report since it took place after the end of the filing period.
In addition to money given directly to the candidates, the Progress Committee spent money on materials supporting the candidates they endorsed, including two, Jeff Koch for school board and Miranda Lewis for City Council who accepted the endorsements, but would not accept direct contributions.
The committee spent $275.68 apiece supporing Shawn McGrew and Randy Steele on March 17, $123.46 apiece supporting Ryan Stanley, Miranda Lewis, Mike Seibert, Mike Woolston, Gary Shaw, Lynda Banwart, Jeff Flowers, Jeff Koch, Shawn McGrew and Randy Steele on March 26; another $299.88 on the same day for all of those candidates, and $21.56 apiece for the candidates on March 20.
Those contributing to the Joplin Progress Committee during the filing period are listed below:
Harry Cornell, Carthage, retired $500
Sara Newman, Joplin, retired, $250
Cynthia Schwab, Joplin, $250
Clifford Wert, Webb City, $250
Dr. Lance Beshore, Joplin, $250
Sharon Beshore, Joplin, $250
Kraft Insurance Agency, Joplin, $250
Bennie Crossland, $750
Vintage Stock, Joplin, $500
TroJen Properties, Joplin, $250
Michael Wiggins, Webb City, Granny Shaffer's $250
Infinity Publishing, Webb City, $250
Charles Kuehn III, Joplin, Four State Homes $500
Jerrod Hogan, Joplin, $250
Troy Hill, Joplin, BKD, $250
Henry Robertson II, Joplin, retired $250
Veri Properties LLC, Carl Junction, $250
J. Hipple Investments, Joplin, $250
Gary Brown, Joplin, BKD, $500
Keller Williams of Southwest Missouri Disaster Relief Fund, Joplin, $1,000
Logan Stanley, Joplin, Edward Jones, $250
Gary Pulsipher, Joplin, Mercy Hospital, $250
Robert Morton, Joplin, Zimmer US, $250
James Hicklin, Joplin, Abbey Title, $250
Home Builders Association of Southwest Missouri, Joplin, $250
Bennie Crossland, Crossland Construction $223.46 (in-kind)
Choice Marketing, Joplin, $110 (in-kind)
Sign Designs, Joplin, $128 (in-kind)
The Progress Committee made separate $2,500 contributions to the Re-Elect Woolston, the Tornado Mayor Committee on March 12 and March 26, according to the report.
Since the 40 days before the election report, the committee raised $8,250 and spent $12,205.58, leaving it with $2,993.27 in the bank.
In addition to the earlier contributions of $5,000 to the other four city council candidates besides Woolston it is supporting and the $1,000 contributions to favored Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidates, the committee contributed $723.06 apiece to R-8 candidates Jeff Flowers, Randy Steele, Shawn McGrew, and Lynda Banwart that is not included in the report since it took place after the end of the filing period.
In addition to money given directly to the candidates, the Progress Committee spent money on materials supporting the candidates they endorsed, including two, Jeff Koch for school board and Miranda Lewis for City Council who accepted the endorsements, but would not accept direct contributions.
The committee spent $275.68 apiece supporing Shawn McGrew and Randy Steele on March 17, $123.46 apiece supporting Ryan Stanley, Miranda Lewis, Mike Seibert, Mike Woolston, Gary Shaw, Lynda Banwart, Jeff Flowers, Jeff Koch, Shawn McGrew and Randy Steele on March 26; another $299.88 on the same day for all of those candidates, and $21.56 apiece for the candidates on March 20.
Those contributing to the Joplin Progress Committee during the filing period are listed below:
Harry Cornell, Carthage, retired $500
Sara Newman, Joplin, retired, $250
Cynthia Schwab, Joplin, $250
Clifford Wert, Webb City, $250
Dr. Lance Beshore, Joplin, $250
Sharon Beshore, Joplin, $250
Kraft Insurance Agency, Joplin, $250
Bennie Crossland, $750
Vintage Stock, Joplin, $500
TroJen Properties, Joplin, $250
Michael Wiggins, Webb City, Granny Shaffer's $250
Infinity Publishing, Webb City, $250
Charles Kuehn III, Joplin, Four State Homes $500
Jerrod Hogan, Joplin, $250
Troy Hill, Joplin, BKD, $250
Henry Robertson II, Joplin, retired $250
Veri Properties LLC, Carl Junction, $250
J. Hipple Investments, Joplin, $250
Gary Brown, Joplin, BKD, $500
Keller Williams of Southwest Missouri Disaster Relief Fund, Joplin, $1,000
Logan Stanley, Joplin, Edward Jones, $250
Gary Pulsipher, Joplin, Mercy Hospital, $250
Robert Morton, Joplin, Zimmer US, $250
James Hicklin, Joplin, Abbey Title, $250
Home Builders Association of Southwest Missouri, Joplin, $250
Bennie Crossland, Crossland Construction $223.46 (in-kind)
Choice Marketing, Joplin, $110 (in-kind)
Sign Designs, Joplin, $128 (in-kind)
Saturday, March 29, 2014
R-8 sign language: Fort signs vandalized; Flowers signs posted without permission
A win-at-all-costs philosophy appears to have taken hold in the Joplin R-8 Board of Education race and some of it involves sign language.
Earlier this week after receiving two complaints from people who said Board President Jeff Flowers had planted signs in their yards without permission, I posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone had that problem, not mentioning any candidates.
I received three more responses and all said the signs that were posted without permission were signs supporting the re-election of Jeff Flowers.
Another candidate is having the opposite problem. Debbie Fort reported on her Facebook site that a dozen of her signs have vanished, while the letters were taken from another sign:
Ben I have now had 12 people report their signs as having blown away today. Someone also took the letters off my portable sign on east 7th street. But I am going to take the high road and just move forward.
Earlier this week after receiving two complaints from people who said Board President Jeff Flowers had planted signs in their yards without permission, I posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone had that problem, not mentioning any candidates.
I received three more responses and all said the signs that were posted without permission were signs supporting the re-election of Jeff Flowers.
Another candidate is having the opposite problem. Debbie Fort reported on her Facebook site that a dozen of her signs have vanished, while the letters were taken from another sign:
Ben I have now had 12 people report their signs as having blown away today. Someone also took the letters off my portable sign on east 7th street. But I am going to take the high road and just move forward.
We are certainly seeing some fine examples being set for the young people in the Joplin R-8 School District.
Joplin Progress Committee puts thousands more into R-8 School Board race
The Joplin Progress Committee's attempt to influence the Joplin R-8 Board of Education race continued Thursday with more than $2,000 worth of contributions to its chosen candidates.
Twenty-four hour notices filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission show that three candidates, Board President Jeff Flowers, incumbent board member Randy Steele and Bright Futures official Shawn McGrew, each of whom had received $1,000 contributions from the Progress Committee earlier, banked another $723.06 apiece, bringing their total at this point to $1,723.06 per candidate.
The Progress Committee also gave a $1,000 contribution to Lynda Banwart, and may have contributed to her campaign again, but her committee is making its filings at the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage.
The committee has indicated that it is interested in maintaining a school board that has a strict hands-off policy when it comes to day-to-day operation aof the school district and does not interfere with the superintendent.
Twenty-four hour notices filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission show that three candidates, Board President Jeff Flowers, incumbent board member Randy Steele and Bright Futures official Shawn McGrew, each of whom had received $1,000 contributions from the Progress Committee earlier, banked another $723.06 apiece, bringing their total at this point to $1,723.06 per candidate.
The Progress Committee also gave a $1,000 contribution to Lynda Banwart, and may have contributed to her campaign again, but her committee is making its filings at the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage.
The committee has indicated that it is interested in maintaining a school board that has a strict hands-off policy when it comes to day-to-day operation aof the school district and does not interfere with the superintendent.
Joplin Globe: Joplin R-8 School District has no financial problems
Since candidates Debbie Fort and Jeff Koch brought up the finances during the Monday night candidate forum (which the Globe barred the public from attending), the Globe felt it incumbent to explain away the criticism.
Most of the article offers Superintendent C. J. Huff's explanation about how all of the spending was part of a master plan. Of course, Huff blames everything on the tornado and building construction and says everything will be all right when FEMA kicks in and the district can start rebuilding its reserves.
While there have certainly been some questionable decisions when it comes to the building process, the out-of-control spending that has put the district in financial trouble has other root causes, which are barely touched upon in the Globe article.
In fact, the Globe article really only has one paragraph that touches on the district spending problems and that is toward the end. The number of upper-level administrators is mentioned in one sentence while the Globe offered one paragraph after another to C. J. Huff to explain finances, which as he told us during the Board of Education meeting Tuesday, is too complicated for us to understand.
Apparently, it was either too tough for Globe reporter Emily Younker to understand or the Globe has decided once again to play the kingmaker role in Joplin politics.
A little research, apparently something Globe reporters don't have to do when they have the quotes they already want, would have shown that the Central Administration office has 51 people listed with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2014, compared to 17 in 2008 when C. J. Huff, Jeff Flowers, and Randy Steele arrived.
Those 51 do not even include the non-certificated, undoubtedly highly paid people like chief operating officer Tina Smith, and director of the buildings project Mike Johnson, two highly paid employees who are not listed with the state since they are not educators.
The number also does not include the so-called teaching and learning and 21st Century coaches whose pay originally came from grants, which have long since expired, so their pay has now either been absorbed into the general budget or has somehow been covered by Title I funds.
Nor was there any mention of the nearly $100,000 that was spent for the thank-you tour C. J. Huff has taken across the United States, money which Jeff Flowers told the Joplin Globe had been approved by the Board of Education.
Or how about the cost of Career Pathways directors for Joplin High School? Five were hired as directors for each of the five pathways, while a sixth was hired as the overall director. Four of the six have no background in education.
How about the pay of C. J. Huff? While Joplin teacher pay ranked at 164th in the state in 2013, Huff's pay has been hiked to where it is 32nd in the state (and the teachers are not being asked to supplement their income with $8,000 speeches).
No mention is made of the district's Race to the Top application, which asked for approximately $10 million in additions. The application was soundly rejected, with a top criticism being the district's lack of transparency. Despite that rejection, C. J. Huff and the Board of Education found room in the budget for nearly everything that it wanted, with almost nothing being for the classroom.
The Race to the Top application also included a notation that the district would absorb the cost of all of the extra personnel called for in the request, but could not pay for another part of it- money for teachers to stay before and after school to work with children. For that, the application, which was sent to the U. S. Department of Education less than six months after district patrons, by a 45-vote margin, approved the largest bond issue in school history, the district would ask voters for a tax levy increase.
To this day, there have only been two places where you could read about C. J. Huff and the Joplin R-8 Board of Education's plan to soak the taxpayers- the U. S. Department of Education website and the Turner Report.
Huff and the board never saw fit to tell the public about their plan (Complete plan at this link)
In fact, as I noted in an earlier Turner Report, they asked Joplin's teacher organizations, MNEA and MSTA, to approve the application, which was more than 100 pages, but only let them see one page, the page on which they were supposed to sign their names, saying they had read the entire application and approved it. (The Globe has never written about the Race to the Top application.)
And Jeff Flowers and C. J. Huff have the nerve to talk about how transparent they are.
From the look of the story in today's Joplin Globe and the decision to keep the public away from the forum, the Globe would like for Flowers and Huff to continue their unique form of transparency well into the future.
Consider the conclusion of today's Globe story. It has been noted that the district's strategic plan calls for the reserve level to drop to eight percent before things start getting better.
The Globe feels the need to tell us that eight percent is not that bad. A note is added- "Missouri law identifies a school district as experiencing 'financial distress' if its reserves dip below three percent."
Now thanks to the Globe and C. J. Huff, we know that eight percent is perfectly reasonable.
That appears to be the only information that Emily Younker bothered to look up.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Another position advertised at Joplin R-8 Administration Building
The Joplin R-8 School District is looking for an administrative assistant for its already overstaffed Central Office Building at 32nd and Duquesne. Here is how the job is being advertised:
Administrative Assistant
| Job Description | |
Hartzler- No one stopping employees from getting abortion-inducing insurance on their own
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases of business owners challenging the mandate in the President’s health law that employees be provided abortion-inducing drugs. Hobby Lobby, a family-owned craft store business, and Conestoga Wood, a Mennonite-owned woodworking company, believe their First Amendment right to religious freedom is being violated by the government mandate.
On the eve of this historic case, I led many of my House colleagues in a Special Order, in support of our Constitutional right to religious freedom. I shared what I called “A Tale of Two Garages; the American Dream; and how the Government is Jeopardizing it.” The first is the story of David and Barbara Green who, in the early 1970s, borrowed $600 and began making picture frames in their garage in Oklahoma. From those humble beginnings came success with the Hobby Lobby chain that has blossomed into 556 stores in 41 states, with 70 more stores scheduled to open this year. And they hire 16,000 full-time employees. The second story is that of Norman and Elizabeth Hahn in Pennsylvania. They began a small business in their garage in the 1960s, selling doors and wood components for kitchen cabinets. That small business, known as Conestoga Wood, is now a leader in wholesale wood products for kitchen cabinets, with five locations in three states.
Both the Greens and the Hahns are people of faith who believe abortion ends a life. They do not want the government to force them to pay for something they find morally objectionable, or to choose between staying in business and following their religious beliefs. But the sad fact is that employers offering health care coverage without abortion-inducing drugs face fines of up to $36,500 per employee each year for failure to comply with the government edict – an unconscionable price to have to pay for following one’s religious beliefs. Where are the Administration’s priorities in this unjust scheme? From a Constitutional perspective the government mandate clearly tramples on America’s deeply held tradition of respecting the freedom of conscience.
These businesses and others across the country want to provide their employees with quality health coverage, but do not want to be forced to choose between following their faith and submitting to an intrusive government mandate. No one is stopping any employees from obtaining abortion-inducing drugs on their own. The Greens and Hahns are simply saying they should not be forced by the government to aid in the abortion process by providing these drugs. Their position makes good sense and it upholds America’s Constitutional rights and freedoms. I eagerly look forward to the Supreme Court decision, which is expected in June. I pray the Court upholds our most fundamental right.
On another matter, the House took another step this week to rein in the unilateral power of the White House by approving the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act, H.R. 1459. This would require public participation before a presidentially-declared National Monument is made official by changing the 1906 Antiquities Act, which allows Presidents to unilaterally designate National Monuments without any input or involvement of the American public, community leaders, or elected officials. It was intended to be used in emergencies to protect historic artifacts and sites of scientific value from imminent threat. But it has been misused for political purposes, specifically to restrict access to vast areas of America’s public lands.
The House bill would guarantee the American people an opportunity to take part in these important decisions, while preventing the inclusion of private property in monument declarations without the prior approval and written consent of property owners. This legislation addresses the issue of Presidential overreach by ensuring that Presidents – regardless of political party – make decisions of this kind out in the open. America benefits when the secrecy of government actions is replaced with transparency. I urge the Senate to take up this common sense legislation and act on behalf of the American people by quickly passing it.
About the Joplin Globe, Mark Rohr, and the Joplin Police
The police investigated, determined that no crime had been committed, and closed the investigation.
Nearly two weeks have passed and nothing more has been written about this in the area's newspaper of record, yet the Globe article leaves many questions unanswered and many more unasked.
-When did the Joplin Globe first know about the 911 call and the police visit to Rohr's house? It stands to reason Globe editors and reporters knew about this long before March 16, and frequent Globe guest columnist Anson Burlingame recently wrote on his blog that Editor Carol Stark was already aware of the incident. When did she know and why was nothing ever written about it in the pages of the Globe? A 911 call from the home of the City Manager would seem to be a newsworthy event, even if the news was just dispelling rumors. At this time, it was already well known that Rohr's time at Piqua, Ohio, ended with him filing a libel suit against someone who had said that the police had made a number of visits to his house on domestic incident reports. Rohr won the lawsuit, but if nothing else, the coincidence should have made the Globe take a closer look into the Joplin incident.
-Why did the Joplin Police not call in an outside agency to investigate the situation? When the person who is being investigated is the man who hires and fires the police chief, there would seem to be a conflict of interest. Usually in this type of case, the Missouri Highway Patrol is called in, even when the matter seems to be routine. There is no indicating in the March 16 story that the Globe even asked Joplin Police Chief Lane Roberts that question.
-Why did Roberts refuse to sit down with investigator Tom Loraine for an interview? He turned over the tape of the 911 call and the police report, but he did nothing to dispel the rumors that there was a cover up.
-Though Missouri law leaves the matter to the police officers' discretion, some states require that at least one of the parties in a domestic abuse situation be removed from the location as a precaution. What is the Joplin Police Department's policy and was it followed on December 29, 2012 or was preferential treatment provided to Mark Rohr?
-Do Joplin Globe Editor Carol Stark and Publisher Michael Beatty provide preferential treatment to their friends?
The answer to the last question is obvious.
Joplin Globe does in-depth investigation of R-8 cuisine, nothing about issues
Anyone who listened to what was being said during the Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidate forum Monday night (the one the Joplin Globe would not allow the public to attend) heard plenty of things that would make the ears of any good investigative reporter perk up.
-David Guilford pointed out that the lack of transparency in the way business is conducted in the school district began in 2008, the year that C. J. Huff and board candidates Jeff Flowers and Randy Steele arrived. Of course, that can't be a story because the Globe told us a few months back about how transparent the board and Huff are, taking Huff's talking points and doing no more investigating.
-Debbie Fort noted that while Joplin teachers continue to have lower salaries than the rest of the area, Huff has one of the highest salaries for superintendents. According to DESE statistics I just read on Jeff Koch's Facebook page, Joplin teacher salaries are below Neosho, Carl Junction, Webb City, and Carthage, even though Joplin has a higher percentage of its teachers who have master's degrees. In fact, Joplin's teachers' salaries rank 163rd in the state. Meanwhile, Huff's salary is ranked 32nd in the state, compared for example, to 96th for Webb City's superintendent. Where is the Joplin Globe investigation on this? Joplin teachers have become used to receiving little or no salary increases while the district has poured money into creating new non-teaching jobs, extra layers of highly paid administrators, and of course, all kinds of technology. The board has continued to increase Huff's salary, while Huff passes it along by creating extra Eagle Pride days where his teachers can wear bluejeans. All he has to do is let the teachers wear bluejeans and sign his messages "For the kids," and everyone will be happy. I am not anticipating we will see any Joplin Globe investigations on Joplin teachers' salaries (or for that matter C. J. Huff's salary).
-Jeff Koch was the first candidate at the forum to suggest that we bring spending under control (something Randy Steele said on KZRG, but seems to have forgotten now). While Steele and Flowers indicated that would cost people jobs, probably the only jobs that would need to disappear are the ones that were added through the grants the administrators are so happy to keep applying for and the extra layers of administration that have been added. Unfortunately, when the grants are done, somehow all of these salaries are absorbed into the general budget (or laundered through Title I). Again, the Globe has never done anything to examine the ever-growing number of people who work for the R-8 School District and have nothing whatsoever do with the classroom.
-Debbie Fort noted that the staff at the central administration office has tripled from the time C. J. Huff took the reins. The Globe, meanwhile, has stood in awe when Huff said he would not replace former Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer.
And finally, a critical topic for this school district- the high teacher turnover. It has been blamed on the tornado. In the pages of the Globe, C. J. Huff had the nerve to say the teacher turnover was due to teachers' spouses finding jobs in other cities, conjuring up images of the little women having to follow where their husbands go. The Globe has never investigated the real problems that have gripped the Joplin R-8 School District. People are leaving because of the way the school district has been operated since C. J. Huff arrived. Some have left on their own, even if they did not have jobs lined up. Others have been run out of the district. No one wants to talk to the Globe about it, because the Globe has made it clear it doesn't listen to people who will not allow their names to be used, even if using the names could cost the people their jobs. C. J. Huff has used people like Angie Besendorfer, Mike Johnson, and Tina Smith to maintain an iron grip on the school district and the Globe has turned a blind eye, despite the negative effect this has had on the teachers, staff members, and students in the district.
In Thursday's Joplin Globe, the newspaper devoted more than half of its page one coverage to the Joplin R-8 School District. One would think when the most important school board election in recent memory is less than two weeks away, issues like teacher turnover, school financing, or district transparency might deserve that kind of coverage.
The education issue that dominated page one with a story and two large photos was a master chef competition at Franklin Tech.
Joplin Globe readers may not know anything about how the school district is being operated by reading the newspaper, but it knows everything it needs to about R-8 cuisine.
In Thursday's Joplin Globe, the newspaper devoted more than half of its page one coverage to the Joplin R-8 School District. One would think when the most important school board election in recent memory is less than two weeks away, issues like teacher turnover, school financing, or district transparency might deserve that kind of coverage.
The education issue that dominated page one with a story and two large photos was a master chef competition at Franklin Tech.
Joplin Globe readers may not know anything about how the school district is being operated by reading the newspaper, but it knows everything it needs to about R-8 cuisine.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Tornado watch for Jasper, Newton counties extended until midnight
(From the National Weather Service)
TORNADO WATCH 34 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1200 AM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS . MISSOURI COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE AUDRAIN BARRY BARTON BENTON BOONE CALLAWAY CAMDEN CEDAR CHRISTIAN COLE CRAWFORD DADE DALLAS DENT DOUGLAS FRANKLIN GASCONADE GREENE HICKORY JASPER KNOX LACLEDE LAWRENCE LEWIS LINCOLN MARIES MARION MCDONALD MILLER MONITEAU MONROE MONTGOMERY MORGAN NEWTON OSAGE OZARK PHELPS PIKE POLK PULASKI RALLS SHELBY ST. CLAIR STONE TANEY TEXAS WARREN WEBSTER WRIGHT
Missouri Chamber video omits debunking of Common Core supporter
This video was posted on YouTube by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, which supports Common Core Standards. It includes a strong statement against the standards by Sen. Ed Emery, R-Lamar, and also includes a speech supporting the standards by Michael Brickman of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The Chamber conveniently leaves out the part where Sen. Brian Nieves points out the Institute's ties to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Missouri's current standards, contrary to what Brickman says, have always been considered some of the strongest in the nation.
Video- Nieves rips apart Common Core supporter
During his testimony before the Senate Education Committee, Michael Brickman, policy director of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. said that Missouri standards were lower than most other states, something that is far from the truth. In the accompanying video, Sen. Brian Nieves tears apart Brickman, noting that his institute receives a considerable amount of money from the Gates Foundation (which is not unusual, the Gates Foundation is putting money into nearly every educational organization in a not-so-transparent effort to take control of education).
Tornado watch issued for Joplin, southwest Missouri
(From the National Weather Service)
TORNADO WATCH 33 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS MO . MISSOURI COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE ADAIR ANDREW ATCHISON BARRY BARTON BATES BENTON BUCHANAN CALDWELL CARROLL CASS CEDAR CHARITON CLAY CLINTON DADE DAVIESS DEKALB GENTRY GRUNDY HARRISON HENRY HICKORY HOLT JACKSON JASPER JOHNSON LAFAYETTE LAWRENCE LINN LIVINGSTON MACON MCDONALD MERCER NEWTON NODAWAY PETTIS PLATTE POLK PUTNAM RAY SALINE ST. CLAIR SULLIVAN VERNON WORTH
Signing for Scars from the Tornado Saturday at Vintage Stock
The book details my experiences and East Middle School students' experiences during the May 22, 2011, Joplin Tornado, and during the first year attending a warehouse school.
Some of those students will be at the signing Saturday.
Following is a breakdown of what is included in Scars from the Tornado:
Foreword- This features a story that a former East student, Joplin High School sophomore Rylee Hartwell, wrote about the school shortly after the tornado.
A Teacher's Story- Over several chapters, I write about the last day at East before the tornado hit, the tornado and my first trip back to the school, the meeting at Missouri Southern where Principal Bud Sexson outlined what the warehouse school was going to be like, our return to school, the first day and much more.
Tornado Stories- This section features the students recounting their tornado stories. Some were right in the middle of it. Others feared for their friends. It affected all of them. Students with stories in this section include Jennifer Nguyen, Nick Shellenbarger, Abi Killinger, Alexandra Stelts, Donna Tomlinson, Maggie Baker, Cami Sanders, Kaley Moser, Amber Fleming, Desirae Orlaski, Taylor Robinson, Keisha Grunden, Courtney Hunt, Victoria Stehm, Garrett Severs, and Ryan Ball.
The School Year- This section features stories from the students about our year in the warehouse, with some commenting about the school. Those contributing stories include Sarah Peterson, Megan Hickey, Amy Koch, Jennifer Nguyen, Annie Strickling, Stella Ndauwa, and Melinda Adams. Megan, Amy, and Jennifer contributed multiple stories in this section.
Parting Shots- This section includes a longer story that I wrote about the people from around the world who let us know that we were not alone in our battle. My story centers around our 86-year-old penpal from Santa Barbara who has come to mean a lot to my students both last year and this year. The section also has shorter comments from Cara Marshall, Jimmie Willerton, Audrey Kanan, Taelor Stone, Logan Whitehead, Amelia Street, and Madison Meinhardt.
Tornado Poems- Among those contributing to this section are students Mykah Campbell, Michaela West, Sean Harrison, Ashton McGehee, Karly Weber, Jacy Welch, Mackenzie Gunderson, Bridget Ingham, Jerry Bland, Joseph Fry, Beth Dulinsky, and teacher Kathy Weaver.
The book also includes a photo section.
Copies of 5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado, Spirit of Hope: The Year After the Joplin Tornado, and No Child Left Alive will also be available.
Severe thunderstorm risk this afternoon for Joplin area
(From the National Weather Service)
KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-281700- BOURBON-CRAWFORD-CHEROKEE-BENTON-MORGAN-MILLER-MARIES-VERNON- ST. CLAIR-HICKORY-CAMDEN-PULASKI-PHELPS-BARTON-CEDAR-POLK-DALLAS- LACLEDE-TEXAS-DENT-JASPER-DADE-GREENE-WEBSTER-WRIGHT-NEWTON- LAWRENCE-CHRISTIAN-DOUGLAS-HOWELL-SHANNON-MCDONALD-BARRY-STONE- TANEY-OZARK-OREGON- 1146 AM CDT THU MAR 27 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI OZARKS AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. WEATHER HAZARDS EXPECTED... LIMITED TORNADO RISK. ELEVATED HAIL RISK. ELEVATED THUNDERSTORM WIND DAMAGE RISK. ELEVATED LIGHTNING RISK. ELEVATED NON THUNDERSTORM WIND RISK. DISCUSSION... STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL OCCUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...AHEAD OF A STORM SYSTEM OVER THE PLAINS. WIND GUSTS OF 35 MPH TO AS HIGH AS 50 TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS INTO WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MISSOURI WHERE A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK WILL DEVELOP BY 3 TO 4 PM OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND SPREAD EAST INTO THE REST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. A CAP OVER THE AREA WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND BREAK AS A DRY LINE AND COLD FRONT MOVE INTO EASTERN KANSAS BY MID AFTERNOON. INITIALLY...DISCRETE STORMS...POTENTIALLY SUPERCELLS...WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH A LARGE HAIL RISK...DAMAGING WIND RISK...AND A SMALL RISK FOR TORNADOES OVER THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO TRANSITION INTO A LINE OR LINE SEGMENTS WITH THE MAIN STORM THREATS BECOMING DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL THIS EVENING OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO EXIT THE REGION TO THE EAST BY 1 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL MISSOURI LATE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES THROUGH ARKANSAS. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AND AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY....ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHEAST KANSAS AND WESTERN MISSOURI. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY WITH A COLD FRONT. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Kander comments on Repubicans' vote to cut funding for Election Integrity Unit
(From Secretary of State Jason Kander)
Secretary of State Jason Kander today released the following statement on the Missouri House of Representative’s vote to strip funding from his office’s Elections Integrity Unit:
"I am disappointed that Republicans in the Missouri House of Representatives are less interested in protecting the integrity of our elections than I am. I started the Elections Integrity Unit to investigate both voter fraud and voter access issues. It has been a great success, which is one of the reasons why the House Budget Committee voted unanimously to fund the unit.
Everything the Elections Integrity Unit examines is online and accessible so Missourians can see the work my office is doing to keep our elections secure and fair. This decision by House Republicans shows that they are more interested in scoring political points than actually doing anything to take on voter fraud and voter access issues. I am hopeful that the Senate will restore funding to the Elections Integrity Unit to show Missourians that this state has zero tolerance for voter fraud."
More information about the Elections Integrity Unit—including its reporting procedure and copies of its completed reviews—is available at www.sos.mo.gov/integrity on Kander’s website.
Koster issues comment on execution of Jeffrey Ferguson
(From Attorney General Chris Koster)
On March 26, 2014, Jeffrey Ferguson was executed for the 1989 murder of Kelli Hall.
Attorney General Koster said, "More than two decades have passed since Jeffrey Ferguson kidnapped, raped, and murdered seventeen-year-old Kelli Hall. While this sentence cannot bring Kelli back, her parents have waited a quarter-century for justice for their daughter. My thoughts and prayers tonight are with Kelli Hall’s family and friends, in the hope that they can now have a degree of closure and finality on this awful crime."
Nixon rejects clemency petition for Jeffrey Ferguson
(From Gov. Jay Nixon)
The Governor’s Office Tuesday released the following statement from Gov. Jay Nixon regarding his decision on the petition for clemency from Jeffrey Ferguson:
Earlier today, I received from my counsel a final briefing on the petition for clemency from Jeffrey Ferguson, which has been reviewed in detail. After careful deliberation, I have denied this petition. This is a process and a gubernatorial power I do not take lightly. The specific circumstances and set of facts for each case are – and must be – considered on their own.
Kelli Hall was only 17 when she was abducted from her workplace, raped and brutally murdered. Her life, so full of promise, was brutally taken from her and her family. The jury that convicted Jeffrey Ferguson of Kelli’s murder found that the aggravating circumstances for this crime warranted the death penalty. My decision today upholds that appropriate sentence.
I ask that the people of Missouri remember Kelli Hall and keep her family in their thoughts and prayers.
Billy Long: Obamacare should not infringe on religious freedom
U.S. Rep. Billy Long issued the following statement on the day the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the president’s health care law’s contraception mandate:
“The president’s health care law just had its 4th Birthday. The four years have been full of broken promises. Hard working Americans were promised they could keep their plan if they liked it and promised their premiums would decrease. Sadly many Americans could not keep the health care plan they liked and many others have been forced to pay higher premiums for their health care.
“The president’s health care law is already riddled with broken promises, but it should not infringe on Americans’ religious freedom. Freedom of religion is a fundamental right protected by our First Amendment. I am hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold the First Amendment and ensure Americans are not penalized for their religious beliefs.”
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Video- Father of three Colorado children killed near Mt. Vernon speaks
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, the three, their mother and her husband were all killed when their vehicle crossed the center line and struck another vehicle head-on.
Joplin R-8 Board approves building Early Childhood Center on old South Middle School site
By its usual 7-0 vote this evening, the Joplin R-8 Board of Education approved construction of an Early Childhood Center on the old South Middle School site at 22nd and Wall.
Superintendent C. J. Huff said the cost of the project, which was estimated at $9.5 to $14.5 million will not end up hurting the budget all. Huff said the money will come through various grants and sources including Community Development Block Grants and FEMA.
One necessity was that the building be placed in a part of town that was damaged by the tornado and which is heavily low-income. Board members agreed that the old South property fit that description perfectly.
According to the fiscal note provided in the Board of Education documentation, prepared by Director of Special Services Lisa Orem and signed off on by Superintendent C. J. Huff, the funding will come through "a combination of local, state, federal, FEMA 404 safe room, funding, Community Development Block Grant funding, and foundation grants."
The report says "the estimated cost of the facility is between $9.5 and $14.5 million depending upon capacity and available funds."
"The district may have some upfront, one-time expenditures for bricks and mortar. For example, the district required 25 percent match for the 404 safe room."
The expansion of the program is justified by Ms. Orem and Huff at the beginning of the report:
"Since the May 22 tornado, the need for quality early childhood programs has grown exponentially. According to Child Care Aware, the City of Joplin had 67 licensed daycares in the community. Today there are only 30. Quality childcare programs are an essential infrastructure component for the redevelopment of our community. Young families cannot move to a community where affordable early childhood programming is not available.
"It is well documented that early intervention programs during those critical early years is essential to children entering kindergarten ready to learn. Sadly, in Joplin, over 50 percent of children entering kindergarten lack the necessary skills to be successful in school. This creates a significant skill gap between children ready to learn and those who are not. Early intervention is essential to remediating this issue long term. Additionally, the research clearly indicates a profound lifelong impact on children who attend high quality pre-schools vs. children who do not. Therefore, the need is great for the Joplin Schools to pool available resources to support early childhood education."
Superintendent C. J. Huff said the cost of the project, which was estimated at $9.5 to $14.5 million will not end up hurting the budget all. Huff said the money will come through various grants and sources including Community Development Block Grants and FEMA.
One necessity was that the building be placed in a part of town that was damaged by the tornado and which is heavily low-income. Board members agreed that the old South property fit that description perfectly.
According to the fiscal note provided in the Board of Education documentation, prepared by Director of Special Services Lisa Orem and signed off on by Superintendent C. J. Huff, the funding will come through "a combination of local, state, federal, FEMA 404 safe room, funding, Community Development Block Grant funding, and foundation grants."
The report says "the estimated cost of the facility is between $9.5 and $14.5 million depending upon capacity and available funds."
"The district may have some upfront, one-time expenditures for bricks and mortar. For example, the district required 25 percent match for the 404 safe room."
The expansion of the program is justified by Ms. Orem and Huff at the beginning of the report:
"Since the May 22 tornado, the need for quality early childhood programs has grown exponentially. According to Child Care Aware, the City of Joplin had 67 licensed daycares in the community. Today there are only 30. Quality childcare programs are an essential infrastructure component for the redevelopment of our community. Young families cannot move to a community where affordable early childhood programming is not available.
"It is well documented that early intervention programs during those critical early years is essential to children entering kindergarten ready to learn. Sadly, in Joplin, over 50 percent of children entering kindergarten lack the necessary skills to be successful in school. This creates a significant skill gap between children ready to learn and those who are not. Early intervention is essential to remediating this issue long term. Additionally, the research clearly indicates a profound lifelong impact on children who attend high quality pre-schools vs. children who do not. Therefore, the need is great for the Joplin Schools to pool available resources to support early childhood education."
C. J. Huff to R-8 Board: We will start (high) school on time
It worked once and ended up earning C. J. Huff $8,000 a speech through the Washington Speakers Bureau, so why not try it again.
Huff, who famously declared two days after the May 22, 2011, that Joplin would have school, famously declared earlier tonight that, despite all of those pesky rumors and talk of mounting cost overruns, Joplin High School will open in time for the beginning for the 2014-2015 school year.
Huff, who famously declared two days after the May 22, 2011, that Joplin would have school, famously declared earlier tonight that, despite all of those pesky rumors and talk of mounting cost overruns, Joplin High School will open in time for the beginning for the 2014-2015 school year.
Huff to Jet 14 audience: I have no shame whatsoever in how we handled our funds
During the last 10 minutes of the Joplin R-8 Board of Education meeting, which ended moments ago and was televised live on taxpayer-supported Jet 14, Superintendent C. J. Huff spent time praising the work done by the Board, including, of course (but not mentioned by name) Board President Jeff Flowers and Randy Steele, who happen to be running for re-election in the April 8 election.
The speech, something Huff said he just had to say, came at the end of the meeting and addressed many of the items that were brought up, and not handled well, by Flowers and Steele at last night's candidate forum.
Huff addressed the 8 to 10 percent fund balance, which has been criticized (and which one board member said a few moments ago may dip down to seven percent) and said the board had done what was necessary to keep school going and that everything was done for the children.
"I have no shame whatsoever in how we handled our funds," Huff said.
The superintendent indicated that you have to be on the inside to understand how school finances work. "It's hard for the community to understand."
The handling of the district's finances under the Huff Administration was a target of board candidates Jeff Koch and Debbie Fort during the candidate forum, even though Huff was never mentioned by name.
While Huff's impassioned defense of the board's handling of money centered around the completion of the new buildings and paying for facilities for the students to attend school while those buildings were under construction, the superintendent never mentioned the main areas of overspending that were attacked by Mrs. Fort and Koch.
Not once did he mention that staffing at the Central Administration office has tripled since he became superintendent, a fact that Mrs. Fort cited, and one which can be verified by examining Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education records.
Nor did Huff talk about the increased travel, including nearly $100,000 hopscotching the nation on a thank-you tour. Jeff Flowers told the Joplin Globe last year that all of Huff's travel had been approved by the Board of Education.
Other travel has included trip after trip to one seminar and conference after another with many teachers missing numerous days. Mrs. Fort noted Monday night that one of her teachers was pulled out of class for 40 days, nearly one out of every four-and-a-half days of school, to attend administration-mandated seminars.
Also left unaddressed by Huff was the addition of layer after layer of lower-level administrators or quasi-administrators, such as the teaching/learning coaches, 21st Century coaches, and career pathway directors, none of whom are in the classroom working with children.
During the board forum, David Guilford and Mrs. Fort ripped into the board for its lack of transparency. Huff also addressed that criticism. "We're very transparent," Huff said, though he gave no examples to counter the criticisms leveled by Guilford and Mrs. Fort.
Huff attempted to give answers to questions that left Flowers and Steele stumped the previous evening.
Essentially, with an election that started with a slumber party at the Administration Building, with board members using their own keys to allow themselves and Administration-favored candidates to wait in a warm building, using district wireless technology and other amenities, and which is scheduled to end with a perfectly timed election morning thank-you breakfast at East Middle School for Bright Futures volunteers, C. J Huff has once again shown a willingness to use taxpayer-supported facilities to get what he wants.
Claire McCaskill: Getting ideas from Missourians
(In her latest newsletter, Sen. Claire McCaskill reviews her visits to Missouri cities last week. One of her stops was in Joplin.)
It's no secret I get my best ideas from Missouri, and last week was no exception. In my time crisscrossing the state and logging more than 1,000 miles, I had the opportunity to hear directly from Missourians about ways to expand job opportunities and keep the economy moving in the right direction.
I kicked off my ‘McCaskill on Main Street' tour with a stop in Hannibal, where I hosted a public town hall meeting. No questions were off limits - because even though there were times the crowd both agreed and disagreed, I know it's my job to be held accountable to you.
In Columbia, folks were interested in topics including marijuana decriminalization, and some weren't happy with my support for building the Keystone XL Pipeline. Meanwhile in Kansas City, folks wanted to talk about the new healthcare law, and the Springfield crowd were interested in issues facing national security and our veterans. While the topics differed, every town hall included a lively and civil discussion, which I appreciated and thanked everyone for. Civil engagement makes a difference in our country.
It wasn't just town halls where I had a chance to connect one-on-one with Missourians. At an event in Washington, Mo. with Mayor Sandy Lucy, I called for upgrading the regions roads, bridges and infrastructure. We've had a good start in turning our economy in the right direction, but Mayor Lucy and I agree that we need to get more bang for our buck with infrastructure investments.
It was that same message I took to Joplin, where I sat down with the city's Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders for a roundtable with "comeback businesses" to discuss city revitalization efforts following the devastating tornado in 2011. While federal resources played a vital role in helping the community rebound from this tragedy, I reiterated it's important we work to strike a balance and find ways to support brick and mortar businesses, and keep growing the economy.
And in St. Louis, Mayor Francis Slay and I rallied support with local veterans for the renewal of the Workforce Investment Act - expired legislation with a proven track-record of boosting job opportunities. This bill can forge a successful partnership between the federal government and the local business community to provide pathways to jobs - and Congress should act to renew it as soon as possible.
Last week was more than just an opportunity to hear about issues in your communities, it was a reminder of what makes our democracy great - meeting and hearing directly from hundreds of Missourians across the state - and I plan to get to work bringing your commonsense ideas to the Senate.