Shally Lundien, Mark LaTurner named Joplin High School assistant principals

(From Joplin Schools)

Joplin Schools is pleased to announce Shally Lundien and Mark LaTurner as Joplin High School Assistant Principals. 

For the last five years, Lundien has served as the Principal at Columbia Elementary. Before Columbia, Lundien served five years as the Assistant Principal under Dr. Gilbreth at South Middle School. 

LaTurner has served as a social studies teacher at Joplin High School for the last ten years. For the last four years, he has been the social studies department chair.

LaTurner grew up in Galena, Kansas, and has been an educator for the last fourteen years. His career began at W.W Samuell High School in the Dallas Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, where he taught U.S and world history before moving back to the Joplin area to continue teaching and be closer to family.

Lundien grew up in Carl Junction, Missouri, and has been in education for over 20 years. She started her professional career as the Head Softball Coach and Instructor at Pittsburg State University. 

After five years, she returned to the high school level to teach and coach. For the next ten years, Lundien taught science and coached at the high school and middle school levels. She taught high school science at Carl Junction and Seneca for four years. She continued her career at Carthage Junior High, teaching 7th-grade science for four years. In 2011, Lundien was hired as a principal for Joplin Schools.

Lundien said, “I am very excited to start this new adventure in my professional career. I am passionate about building relationships with students, staff, and families in our community. I feel my years of experience at various levels of education will provide great opportunities to help our high school students achieve their potential and plan for a successful future.” 

Dr. Moss, Superintendent of Schools said, “Both Shally and Mark have an excellent positive history of service to Joplin students. We are pleased that their proven work in Joplin Schools will continue in their new roles. ”

LaTurner said, “In my time at JHS, I have developed great relationships with the teachers and staff and I am excited to help serve the needs of our students here in a new capacity as assistant principal. I am absolutely thrilled and grateful to be continuing my career as a Joplin Eagle!”

LaTurner earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Pittsburg State University and has completed his master’s degree in educational administration from Missouri State University.

Lundien is a graduate of Carl Junction High School. She completed her Associates of Arts from Crowder College and Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Education from Missouri Southern State University. Lundien earned a Master of Science in Physical Education from Pittsburg State University, a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and a Specialist in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University.

Nancy Hughes: Getting rid of the stink

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Psalm 119:11 (NIV)

There’s an old pair of tennis shoes in my garage that I wear when I mow or work in the yard. You may have a pair like them: shoelaces broken and tied together, grass stains accented with rips, one or two tiny pebbles caught in the tread (what’s left of the tread) along with remnants of “gifts” shared by the neighborhood cat.

One day my grandkids decided to help me straighten up my house and somehow those wonderful tennis shoes got tossed in my closet without my knowledge. The next morning when I opened the closet door, the stench that hit me in the face nearly knocked me over.

It permeated the whole closet including my clean clothes and the other shoes. I only needed a matter of seconds to pinpoint the source of the smell and throw the offending shoes out on the deck. However, even though the shoes were gone from the closet, the horrible smell remained.

I aired out the closet for a whole day and then hung an air freshener in it. The thing was, even though the tennis shoes had been removed for hours, they still left an odor that required me to put another and another and another air freshener in the closet until it was completely gone.

The horrible odor had to continually be replaced with the clean fragrance of the air fresheners. Thankfully it eventually worked!

It occurred to me while I repeatedly changed air fresheners in my bedroom closet that I also needed to allow the Lord to clean out those smelly tennis shoes from the closet in my heart. Let me explain.

When the tennis shoe smell says “God doesn’t even know I exist,” Psalm 139:17-18 says “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.”

When the stench hints that “God doesn’t care about my life and what I do,” Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The horrible odor whispers “She should never have said that about you. You have a right to be angry and to hold it against her.” But we read in Matthew 18:22 that Jesus answers Peter’s question if seven times is enough to forgive someone with “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Don’t let Satan’s lies hang around in the closet of your heart. Replace his stench with God’s truth and love. And remember, too, that the “air freshener” you hang up only works so long without needing to be renewed.

In other words, praying once or twice about negative thoughts and then thinking you don’t have to bother with them any more is not true, because Satan doesn’t stop attacking. You have to constantly be in the Word to stand strong against him.

Dig through the closet of your heart, find all those stinky shoes and give them a toss! Don’t forget to replace them with the sweet fragrance of God’s words of love and encouragement.

Father, so many times I allow the liar to creep into my thoughts and speak untruths to my heart. Forgive me and help me to focus on you and your truth. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Why do you think you allow Satan to attack you with lies?

Do you have Scripture memorized to stand against the attacks?

Apply

Journal each “stinky shoe” that you struggle with in your heart.

Beside each entry, journal a Scripture that shares God’s promise for that struggle.

Power

Psalm 119:11 (NIV) “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

II Corinthians 2:15 (NIV) “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)

 

Paul Richardson: Writing to a score

My sophomore year in high school found me volunteering for the school newspaper. I would stay after school and sit at an IBM Selectric Typewriter and transfer other people’s words to print by punching out a mimeograph stencil. 

All the while, someone, maybe one of the junior or senior members of the staff or one of the teachers who either sponsored the newspaper or monitored the typing classroom, would supply the tunes. 

Since they possessed Moody Blues albums, that was what we listened to. Over and over and over we listened to the Moody Blues sing about the goings on for a given afternoon, how lovely it was to see us again, invitations to ride their seesaw, and many other poetic interpretations. 

This group of musicians and song writers were poets at heart and had found a wonderful way to present their poetry. As you can tell, I was and still am a huge Moody Blues fan, especially their work up through the 1970’s at which point I became somewhat disconnected to new productions through the 1980’s and 1990’s. After the turn of the century, I returned to those lost decades and retrieved some of the music that I had cherished in my past.

These articles have been written in vacuum, a world of silence, with only the ambient sounds of life surrounding me. When these memories of almost one-half of a century surfaced, I began to wonder what it would be like if I was to return to those days of working and writing to a score. 

Would I be more productive or less productive? Would I be inspired or simply start incorporating more song lyrics into my writing, striking the keys that would recreate the words that I was hearing? I seem to incorporate song lyrics or references to songs already and hopefully always give credit where credit is due. Do my readers appreciate or even more, understand my collaboration with these artists?

As this plays out in my head, I keep stroking the keys and producing this article with only the sounds of the fans that move the air throughout the house droning away as a white noise in the background. When I get set on a task I prefer to keep pushing forward until completed. As I was preparing to search out and push play in order to flood the room with the Moody Blues renderings, the phone rang. When the good wife answered the phone call, it wasn’t long before she passed the call off to me. The call was from my eccentric daughter who calls every day.

These calls often last from a half-hour to three times that long. The experiment with writing to a score will have to wait as these conversations are a daily intellectual ritual, usually stimulating, and highly cathartic. This will be the background as I try not to incorporate the dialog into the script. Maybe next time I will get to write to a score. The Moody Blues sounds like a good selection!

Greene County reports 10 COVID-19 deaths

(From the Springfield-Greene County Health Department)

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is saddened to announce the deaths of 10 Greene County residents from COVID-19. These fatalities were reported to us between Wednesday, February 17 and Tuesday, February 23.

Community members lost include:
Two men in their 70s
Two women in their 70s

Two women in their 80s
Two men in their 90s
Two women in their 90s

We extend our condolences to everyone impacted by these losses. We take each loss personally and our hearts are with you.

A total of 414 Greene County residents have died from COVID-19.

Katy Booher named principal at Soaring Heights

Joplin Schools is pleased to announce Katy Booher as the new Principal of Soaring Heights Elementary. Dr. Moss, Superintendent of Schools said, “Ms. Booher's strength of relationships and strong instructional leadership will serve her well as she works with our Soaring Heights students, families and staff.”

Katy Booher began her 11-year career in public education as a 5th-grade teacher at Webb City Middle School. She later served as the Director of English Language Development in the same district before beginning her service as a building level administrator at Noel Elementary and Junior High School in McDonald County R1 School District. 

 

Booher said, “I am honored to have been selected to serve the students, staff, and community stakeholders of Joplin Schools as the principal of Soaring Heights Elementary School. Our shared love of students and a belief in the importance of advancing a culture of continuous improvement will ensure that together, the Soaring Heights Team can maintain the wonderful practices already in place and build upon our strengths to meet the needs of our precious students. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve under the leadership of Dr. Moss and the Joplin Team and will work tirelessly to support Soaring Heights.”




Katy earned her Bachelor of Science in Education and her Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Missouri Southern State University. Katy, her husband Jason, and their daughter Sophia call southwest Missouri their home.

Lamar man sentenced to seven years for meth trafficking

During a hearing this morning in U. S. District Court in Springfield, a Lamar man was sentenced to seven years in prison for meth trafficking.

Marcas Aaron Elliott, 32,  will be on probation for five years after his sentence.

Elliott's crime was detailed in a detention motion:

On or about May 30, 2019, while on probation with the State of Missouri for felony stealing and felony possession of a controlled substance, the defendant accepted delivery of a package containing 429.5 grams of methamphetamine.

 

During a post-Miranda interview, the defendant admitted knowing the package contained methamphetamine. The defendant also possessed a backpack containing a set of digital scales, two small bags of methamphetamine, numerous clean bags, drug paraphernalia, five cell phones, and a black notebook with handwritten words and prices.

Site work begins on development bringing Menard's to Joplin

(From the City of Joplin)

Land that now sits desolate and uninviting will soon experience a promising renovation as work begins on the newest economic development project in Joplin, “32nd Street Place." 

This 70-acre mixed use development will be home to Menard’s Home Improvement Store as its main anchor along with business and commercial buildings, future movie theatre / entertainment venue and multi-family housing.

The site is located just southeast of 32nd Street and Range Line Road, developer Woodsonia Real Estate Inc. will begin clearing the site and constructing public improvements as part of the $188 million project. This new development occurs around Sam’s Club, already a popular destination for shoppers. 

“This has been in the works for almost 16 months, so we are excited to get started,” said Drew Snyder, President of Woodsonia Real Estate Inc. “Many have driven past this area for years without a glance, and now it will offer new opportunities with retail and entertainment venues to the existing ones in the area.”

Site clearing is underway with site grading to begin late March, weather permitting, for the 70-acre development. BKD Accounting will be relocated into the former Jim Bob’s BBQ property and expected to be open and operational there around October 2021.

“Development should positively impact the community and the investment that Woodsonia and Menard’s are making into Joplin and southwest Missouri enhances our retail choices, housing options, and other amenities during a time when other communities are challenged with declining growth,” said Nick Edwards, Joplin City Manager. “In addition to creating a positive impact with this significant project, the developers have also expressed a sincere interest in helping address some additional community issues.”

Snyder also announced they will be donating $2,500 to the Joplin Homeless Coalition, a not-for-profit of multiple organizations that provide resources to assist/help the homeless and displaced individuals in our community.

“We want to continue to support this community and assist with any displaced individuals who were previously living on the 32nd Street development site,” he said. “The Joplin Homeless Coalition and City of Joplin have been great partners in helping us safely remove any individuals from the development area. There are many things we can bring to Joplin as a developer, and one of the most important things is an awareness and willingness to help where we can.”

The project will also include improvements and relocation to the existing Hammons Boulevard to ensure a safe and efficient roadway into a potentially high traffic area. Infrastructure improvements will start following the completion of the site work.

Woodsonia is the developer that brought Natural Grocers to 7th and Range Line and Buffalo Wild Wings to 15th and Range Line.

Arraignment on tap for suspect in Avilla double murder

 

A Reeds man charged with two counts of first degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with the death of two people Sunday at an Avilla home, will be arraigned 8:15 a.m. Wednesday in Jasper County Circuit Court.

According to the probable cause statement, Kevin Clay Johnson, 24, told investigators he shot and killed Mason McClure, 34, and Nicole Hodges, 34, after McClure said the two had killed Johnson's girlfriend, 25-year-old Brylee O'Banion.

O'Banion's body was discovered Saturday in a ditch in Loma Linda.

At the time the murders took place, Johnson was free on bond while awaiting trial on charges of delivery of a controlled substance and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon.

Joplin man pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor

 

During a hearing this morning in U. S. District Court in Springfield, a Neosho man pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor.

A pre-sentencing hearing was ordered for Clinton Anthony Yeats, 28. No date has been scheduled for sentencing. Yeats will remain in the Greene County Jail.

As part of a plea agreement, a second charge against Yeats, possession of child pornography, will not be prosecuted.

Yeats will spend at least 10 years in prison, according to the plea agreement, which detailed his crimes.

The investigation began following a tip from Snapchat to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that led to Yeats.

Through the course of the investigation, John Doe, a 15-year-old minor male, was identified as having had an online relationship with Yeats.

On May 13, 2020, John Doe was interviewed by HSI Child and Adolescent Forensic Interviewer Kim Stewart.

John Doe disclosed that over the course of he past several months prior to the interview, Yeats and John Doe communicated online. (They) met through the social media application known as Grindr, a dating application.

The two stopped communicating after a short time; however, at the end of 2019, they reconnected on Grindr. Eventually, they also used Snapchat and text messaging to communicate. Yeats had solicited and received sexually explicit images of John Doe, that is, child pornography depicting John Doe, through the various social media applications.

Yeats also sent sexually explicit images of himself to John Doe. Yeats and John Doe also discussed meeting and engaging in sexual activity.

Joplin man indicted for possession of meth with intent to distribute

 

A federal grand jury indicted a Joplin man today on a charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

Timothy Joseph Michiels, 39, was initially arrested Thursday after the Newton County Sheriff's Office and DEA executed a search warrant at his Joplin home.

From the probable cause affidavit:

On February 18, 2021, at approximately 1 :49 p.m., the Newton County, Missouri, Sheriffs Office ("NCSO") tactical team executed the search warrant at MICHIELS's residence at the direction of DEA investigators. 

MICHIELS was detained as he exited the master bedroom. MICHIELS's paramour, N.G., and two children who lived at MICHIELS's residence were located shoveling snow at a neighbor's driveway across the street. 

During a search of the master bedroom, investigators located and seized a user amount of suspected methamphetamine from the north nightstand, along with a 9mm SCCY brand pistol, S#433 l 83, which was loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. Numerous glass pipes consistent with items used to smoke methamphetamine were also located in the master bedroom. 

A 9mm Taurus brand pistol, S#ABB29541, which was not loaded, was located above the kitchen cabinets. There was a Nissan Versa parked in the driveway of the house with a Missouri Temporary license plate that was registered to N.G. 

In the back seat, investigators located a taped bundle of suspected methamphetamine that weighed approximately 2,411.0 gross grams, with packaging. 

Both quantities of suspected methamphetamine were field tested and the test gave a positive indication for the presence of methamphetamine in both. An uncounted amount of U.S. currency was seized from the garage. 

During a post-Miranda interview, prior to the search, MICHIELS told me that there were no firearms or large amounts of U.S. currency or drugs in residence. MICHIELS said he had a small amount of "white," which, based on my training and experience, I believed to be a reference to methamphetamine, on the nightstand. 

After finding the SCCY pistol on the nightstand, I asked MICHIELS about the firearm and he said it belonged to him. 

During a post-Miranda interview, N.G. told me that she knew MICHIELS to be a drug addict but said she was unaware of any large quantities of drugs in the residence. N.G. said she had a "purple" pistol in the residence, which she later identified as the Taurus brand pistol found above the kitchen cabinets. N.G. looked at the gun seized from the master bedroom and she said it did not belong to her. 

N.G. said the large quantity of methamphetamine seized from the Nissan in the driveway did not belong to her. N.G. said she and MICHIELS both drove the car. She said she had last driven the car to work at 6 a.m., on February 18, 2021, but was told she was not needed that day and returned home at approximately 7 a.m. and had not driven the car since. 

N.G. said MICHIELS had driven the car the previous night. Based upon my training and experience, I believe the amount of methamphetamine located in the Nissan to be a distributive amount and inconsistent with possession solely for personal use. 

Based on the facts set forth in this affidavit and my training and experience, I believe that on or about February 18, 2021, in the Western District of Missouri, and elsewhere, MICHIELS knowingly and intentionally possessed, with intent to distribute, a mixture or substance containing 500 grams or more of a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of21 U.S.C. § 84l(a)(l) and (b)(l)(A).