We don't know who is giving money to Jeff Flowers

If you have not read the earlier Turner Report post detailing who gave money to the powerful Joplin Progress Committee, you would only know who gave Joplin R-8 Board of Education President Jeff Flowers $200 out of the $2,240 he has received.

That is all of the information provided in the 40-days-before-election report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The Joplin Progress Committee provided Flowers with $1,000 of that, while Judy Priddy, Joplin, gave $200.

The rest of the money, $1,040, came from unnamed persons who gave Flowers less than $100 apiece, according to the disclosure document. The law does not require that each of those people be listed, but most candidates in local level races do so.

Joplin Progress Committee pours $14,000 into local races, including $1,000 from KC bank

The campaign accounts of six local candidates received cash infusions from the Joplin Progress Committee, according to a 40-day-before-election report filed Monday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The report showed $14,000 going to local candidates, with the bulk of the money, $10,000 going to two Joplin City Council candidates.

In addition to the $5,000 received by both incumbent Mike Seibert and Ryan Stanley, the report shows the four Joplin R-8 Board of Education candidates who are either incumbents or who have been anointed by Superintendent C. J. Huff, Board President Jeff Flowers, board member Randy Steele, and newcomers Shawn McGrew and Lynda Banwart each received $1,000 checks.

Those contributing in varying amounts included the realtor cited in the investigative report by Tom Loraine, a company involved in construction of the new Joplin R-8 school buildings, Sen. Ron Richard, frequent Joplin Globe contributor Anson Burlingame.

The largest contribution to this point is the $1,000 given by the Commerce Bancshares PAC out of Kansas City.

The committee had $10,868.34 at the beginning of the reporting period and has received $10,720 since that time and spent $14,639.49, including $484.47 to the Joplin Globe for advertising.

Those who have contributed to the Joplin Progress Committee since January 1 are listed below:

Steve Koelkebeck, Diamond, SMB $500
Cynthia Schwab, retired, Joplin, $500
Commerce Bancshares PAC, Kansas City $1,000
Kenneth Caviness, Joplin, Vintage Stock, $500
Nancy Morton, Joplin, retired, $500
Infinity Publishing Group, Webb City, $500
Rodney Spriggs, Joplin, Vintage Stock, $500
Audie Dennis, Webb City, Boyd Metals, $250
Charles Kuehn III, Joplin, Four State Homes, $500
Pamela Kuehn, Joplin, Four State Homes, $500
Stephen Barnett, Joplin Printing Company, $250
Robert Morton, Joplin, Zimmer US Inc. $250
Joseph Newman, Joplin, Freeman Health, $500
Carpe Diem Investments, Joplin, $500
Kraft Insurance Agency, Joplin, $500
Michael Pence, Joplin, retired, $250
Joy Cragin, Joplin, retired $25
Janet Burlingame, Joplin, retired, $10
Leland Browne, Joplin, retired, $25.
James Hicklin, Joplin, Abbey Title Company, $500
John Hale, Joplin, retired, $300
Joplin Professional Pharmacy, Inc. $250
Anson Burlingame, Joplin, retired, $10
Ivan Crossland, Columbus, Kan., Crossland Construction, $500
Credit Cars of Joplin, $500
Commttee to Elect Ron Richard $500
Gwen Delano, Joplin, works for Ron Richard, $100
Robert Willcoxon, Joplin, retired, $500

Those who contributed during the last quarter of 2013 included the following:

Clifford Wert, Webb City, $500

Jane Cage, Joplin, $500

Paula Baker, Joplin, Freeman Health, $500

Veri Properties, LLC, Carl Junction, $500

Brad Beecher, Carl Junction, Empire District Electric Company, $500

Sharon Beshore, Joplin, retired, $500

Dr. Lance Beshore, Joplin, Leggett & Platt, $500

Michael Wiggins, Webb City, Granny Shaffer's Restaurant, $500

Sara Newman, Joplin, retired, $500

Karen Platt, Carl Junction, Choice Marketing, $500

Jerrod Hogan, American Engineering, Inc. $500

Bennie Crossland, Joplin, Crossland Construction Company, $500

Fred Osborn, Carl Junction, Mercy Hospital, $500

Nancy Good, Joplin, Waco Title, $500

Troy Hill, Joplin, BKD, LLP, $500

Henry Robertson, Jr., Joplin, retired, $500

Joplin Building Material Company, $500

Randy Moore, Joplin, Eagle-Picher, $500

J. Hipple Investments, Carl Junction, $500

Ronald Gates, Joplin, Empire District Electric Company, $250

Gary Pulsipher, Joplin, Mercy Hospital, $500

T. J. Franz and Associates, Webb City, $500

Scott Brothers, Webb City, The Insurance Center, $250

Incumbents file for local Senate, House seats

Today was the first day of filing for federal or state offices:

Among those filing (all incumbents):

163rd District Representative- Tom Flanigan, R- Carthage
162nd District Representative- Charlie Davis, R-Webb City
161st District Representative- Bill White, R-Joplin
160th District Representative- Bill Reiboldt, R-Joplin
159th District Representative- Bill Lant, R-Joplin
127th District Representative- Mike Kelley, R-Lamar
32nd Districe Senate- Ron Richard, R-Joplin
Seventh District Congress- Billy Long, R-Springfield

Report from Columbia: Tears flow freely during "A Night With C. J. Huff"

The quick decisive actions that R-8 Superintendent C. J. Huff took in the days after the May 22, 2011, Joplin Tornado, were the focus of his presentation at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia last week during the eagerly-awaited "Night with C. J. Huff."

The first thing Huff did after the tornado was strip all his employees of their job titles. He analyzed their strengths and weaknesses and created new job descriptions based on the overall strength of each team member. With Huff at the lead, the team moved forward as a cohesive unit instead of as individual faculty and administration.

The presentation was filled with emotion.

The 2013 Superintendent of the Year made the audience laugh, cry and evaluate the priorities their school currently maintains. He presented a slideshow that included pictures and videos of the devastation that the tornado left behind. He moved from topic to topic within the tragedy, talking calmly about the challenges that he and his community had to overcome.

Then he stopped and took a deep breath.

He tried not to, but eventually Huff began crying as he talked about the children who were injured during the storm. 

Huff also talked to the Columbians about the opening of three new schools last month:

Joplin opened three new schools this year on Jan. 9. A second-grade boy was walking down the halls on the first day of his brand new school when a teacher asked him a question.

“What do you think of the new building” she said, “Does it feel like school?”

He looked at her point blank and said, “No, it feels like happiness.”

Craig Michael Wood's first hearing postponed indefinitely, change of judge granted

The first hearing for Springfield Pleasant View Coach Craig Michael Wood in the Hailey Owens murder case has been postponed indefinitely after Wood's public defender asked for and was granted a change of judge.

The hearing for Wood, who is charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, and armed criminal action in connection with the February 18 death of 10-year-old Hailey Woods, had already been pushed back from March 19 to April 7 before the change of judge was granted.

Wood's hearing will now be held before Judge Jason Brown, according to court records.

The records indicate that public defender Christopher Shane Hatley is still defending Wood, a point of contention with the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney's office, which noted that Wood has a $1 million trust fund.

McCaskill offers thoughts on curbing sex crimes in the military

In a newsletter issued today, Sen. Claire McCaskill discusses legislation on curbing sex crimes in the military.

For me, the ongoing debate over how to curb sex crimes in our Armed Forces is personal. Before I got to the Senate, I spent years prosecuting rape cases in the courtroom, and later became the first woman prosecutor of Jackson County, Mo. -- which includes Kansas City -- where I launched an office exclusively dedicated to combating domestic and sexual violence. And in the Senate, I’ve fought hard for policies like the renewedViolence Against Women Act and legislation forcing the Pentagon to preserve evidence in rape cases.

When President Obama signed the annual defense bill just a few months ago, it meant a new day for justice in the U.S. military. The legislative reforms we successfully included to curb sexual assaults in the ranks were history-making, and are dramatically changing how the military handles these crimes.

• Military commanders have been stripped of their power to overturn jury convictions.
• Civilian oversight is now required if a commander declines to prosecute a case.
• Victims who report an assault will now automatically be assigned their own independent legal counsel to protect and fight for them. 
• Dishonorable discharge is now required as a minimum sentence for those convicted of sexual assault. 
• It is now a crime for any servicemember to retaliate against a victim who reports an assault. 
• The statute of limitations in rape and sexual assault cases has now been eliminated.
• And the "Article 32" pre-trial process, which was in the media spotlight following a recent Naval Academy rape case, has been reformed to better protect victims.

These changes are already taking root to stem rapes and sexual assaults in the ranks, but more work remains. I’ve introduced another bill that would go even further, adding to these already historic reforms by eliminating the "good soldier" defense for those accused of assault, and letting victims have a formal say in whether their case goes to military or civilian court. And in this debate, I've taken a hard look at every idea with one question in mind -- will it better protect victims and lead to more prosecutions? It’s because of that measure that I oppose an alternative plan that you’ve likely heard about, one from my colleague Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, that would completely strip commanders of the ability to launch courts-martial.

I fully understand and respect that different folks will reach their own conclusions, and support the policies they believe are best. And frankly, I believe that this disagreement between Senator Gillibrand and myself has gotten outsized attention from the media because it’s a debate between two strong Democratic women. It’s a good thing when we have women driving more of the policy debates in Congress, and I’ve wondered if this one area of disagreement (Senator Gillibrand and I have worked very closely together on the reforms outlined above) would be getting the same attention if it were a debate between men.

For me, this isn’t about politics, it’s about getting the policy right for victims.

I oppose Senator Gillibrand’s alternative for several reasons:

• I believe it would risk more retaliation against victims who report these crimes.
• America’s allies who have made similar changes haven’t seen the increase in reporting of these crimes that we’re seeking.
• And the bill would leave some victims behind (over the past two years, there have been at least 93 cases in which a commander launched a court-martial after prosecutors declined—that's 93 victims who would never have had their day in court if commanders couldn’t bring a case to court martial).  

Others also recognize the risks posed by stripping commanders of their court-martial authority. A panel of policy experts created by Congress -- independent, majority-civilian, and majority-women -- recently took a comprehensive look at the idea, considered testimony from more than 150 witnesses, and ultimately voted decisively to reject Senator Gillibrand’s bill. The group included leaders who I admire, like Mai Fernandez who leads the National Center for Victims of Crime, Former Federal District Judge Barbara Jones who wrote the judicial opinion striking down the Defense of Marriage Act -- and Former Democratic Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, author of the federal Rape Shield law, who said: "I started out with the view that Senator Gillibrand is a very bright and intelligent and committed person… and I thought her proposal sounded right. I’ve changed my mind, because I was just listening to what we heard.  I started out… thinking, why not change it and now I am saying, why change it… Just turning it over to prosecutors doesn’t mean you are going to get the results you are looking for…"

I believe that dramatic reform to the military justice system must be evidence-based. We have to thoughtfully build the strongest possible reforms to protect and empower victims, crack down on commanders' ability to abuse their authority, and retain a commander's ability to do it right.

Thank you for your support,

Mark Rohr one of two finalists for League City city manager post

Fired Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr impressed League City, Texas, officials during an interview for the city's vacant city manager position Sunday.

Media reports indicate that Rohr, who had been one of four people interviewed, survive dthe cut to two candidates.

The League City Council met for three and a half hours Sunday.

A decision may have been made at the council's regular meeting Monday night.

Besendorfer selected to participate in Leadership Missouri

(From Western Governors University)

Angie Besendorfer, Chancellor, WGU Missouri, joins an elite group of 38 Missouri business and state leaders chosen to participate in Leadership Missouri, a seven-month leadership enhancement program sponsored by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Leadership Missouri, founded in 1990, is an education program designed to enhance the leadership skills of current and emerging leaders through an in-depth exploration of the state’s economic, political, and social issues. Gov. Jay Nixon serves as the honorary chairman of Leadership Missouri.

Leadership Missouri is designed to help business, government, and civic leaders better understand the diverse issues facing Missouri employers, communities and government. Over the course of seven months, beginning in April and ending in October, participants meet each month in a different Missouri city and focus on specific challenges facing that community and our state.

(Besendorfer is the former assistant superintendent for the Joplin R-8 School District.)

MSSU theater stagehand facing child porn charges: I was afraid of what I might do to the children

A paid stagehand in the Missouri Southern State University Theater Department is being held without bond as he awaits trial on child pornography charges.

David Michel McCowen, 25, Joplin, told investigators that during the many times when children were at the theater for various productions, "he would never allow himself to be alone with them for fear of what he might do to the children."

An affidavit filed by  Brad Bearden of the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force indicates McCowan was receiving child pornography through a computer at his home.

According to the affidavit, McCowan downloading child pornography at the very moment authorities executed a search warrant at the home he shared with his sister and her daughter.

McCowan admitted to downloading child pornography and told the investigators "his preferred age range of child pornography was between eight and thirteen (8-13) years old. He stated he liked long brunette hair on the female children, but really didn't care about skin color. The Affiant asked 

McCowan if he had downloaded any child pornography containing toddlers and McCowan stated he had,The Affiant asked but had deleted them after viewing the toddler child pornography."

McCowan also told investigators he had "received a less than honorable discharge" from the U. S. Army after deserting and was sexually attracted to a friend of his niece's, a student at North Middle School.

In his ruling to detain McCowan without bond, Judge David P. Rush wrote, "The evidence at the hearing established that the weight of the evidence against the defendant is overwhelming. Regarding the potential for failure to appear, the court notes that the defendant has substance abuse history, history of military desertion and recent suicidal thoughts.

 

"Regarding potential danger to the community, the Court notes the nature of the instant offense, defendant’s history/charge involving a child, history/charge involving use of a computer to facilitate the alleged offense, history/charge involving sex offense/abuse, safety concerns for the community or specific individual, recent suicidal thoughts and the defendant’s mental health and substance abuse history. 

"Based on all the foregoing, the Court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is a risk of flight, and finds by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is a danger to the community.

 

"It is therefore ordered that the defendant be, and is hereby detained without bail."

Lawsuit accusation: Wallace-Bajjali cheated local investors in Waco project

An adversary lawsuit filed in U. S. Bankruptcy Court in November 2011 alleges that David Wallace and his firm Wallace-Bajjali, the master developers for the city of Joplin's tornado-stricken area, cheated local investors in a Waco, Texas, development out of close to a quarter of a million dollars.

The lawsuit alleges that Wallace made sure that he got his money, did not give any to local investors, and then claimed there was no money left because of "legitimate partnership expenses."

The plaintiff in the lawsuit, NJSS Limited Partnership, claimed that could not have been the case because Wallace and Wallace-Bajjali hadn't done anything.

The lawsuit claims that Wallace and a partner named Michael Wray "descended upon Waco hoping to profit from the community's desire to revitalize downtown," and began pursuing local investors.

At some point, Wallace bought out Wray, according to the petition. The development was split into two phases with the small amount of property that was being developed included in Phase I. The project was almost immediately besieged by a "deluge of mechanics' liens and materialman liens" and inevitably, a bankruptcy, according to the lawsuit.

The petition claims that Wallace and a co-defendant Community Bank and Trust of Waco, Texas, refinanced loans, but not on the phase that included the local investors.

Wallace-Bajjali made $299,000 out of the deal, according tot the petition, which claims that $239,287.67 should have gone to NJJS Limited Partnership.

The Wallace-Bajjali engineered bankruptcy went through and court records indicate that the local investors were unsuccessful in getting their money back.

The bankruptcy, as noted in the February 15 Turner Report, was one of at least three filed by Wallace-Bajjali subsidiaries during a 27-month period.