GateHouse Media to release second quarter earnings

GateHouse Media will release its second quarter earnings after the market closes Monday, Aug. 13, according to a news release filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company has scheduled a conference call for 9 a.m.Tuesday, August 14, 2007, to discuss the earnings. The call can be accessed at(877) 704-5391. A webcast of the call will be available to the public on a listen-only basis at www.gatehousemedia.com.

GateHouse Media owns The Carthage Press, Neosho Daily News, Big Nickel, Neosho Post, and Greenfield Vedette in the Joplin area.

Combest: How Chris Koster can win Democratic nomination for A. G.

In his latest blog entry, John Combest tells how Sen. Chris Koster, now D-Harrisonville, can win the party's nomination for attorney general even though he was a Republican yesterday.
Combest lists five reasons, and explains them in detail, why Koster might be able to defeat Jeff Harris and Margaret Donnelly for the nomination.

GOP: Candidates should be able to keep extra money

Not surprisingly the Missouri Republican Party has weighed in on the debate over whether campaign contributions that are above the limit should be returned. And as you might expect, the GOP does not believe those oversized contributions need to be returned:

In a 19-page brief filed with the Missouri Supreme Court, the Republican State Committee asked the court to reconsider its ruling last month that reinstated limits on campaign contributions.

If the court refuses to modify its July 19 ruling, it should impose the limits only on contributions made after the ruling, the brief said. Such a path would "prevent injustice to hundreds of citizens, public servants and candidates who relied in good faith on the law in exercising their First Amendment rights."

Blunt named co-chairman of Romney finance committee

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt has been named one of 61 co-chairmen of the finance committee for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign:

Also on the roster are Gov. Matt Blunt, R-Mo.; Al Cardenas, former head of the Florida GOP, as well as some of the elite from the Mormon business community, including hoteliers William and Richard Marriott, developer Kem Gardner and cancer research advocate Jon Huntsman, the father of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who is supporting Romney rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

All told, Romney has led the Republican field with $44.4 million in receipts, as of June 30, although the multimillionaire has also loaned his campaign $8.9 million.

Times editorial: Lobbying reform bill is important first step

An editorial in today's New York Times praises the lobbying reform bill passed by the U. S. House of Representatives Tuesday as "a good start," but correctly notes that more needs to be done:

The bill is not perfect. It doesn't place enough restrictions on the rush of lawmakers into lobbying careers, but it is a major step toward resisting the Capitol corruption laid bare in the downfall of Jack Abramoff. He's the über-lobbyist whose lavish wooing of dodgy lawmakers led to the Republicans' loss of Congressional control. In the minority now, Senate Republicans would be foolish to block this urgently needed reform, as some are threatening.

The commitment to reform goes far beyond any party's campaign pledge. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, has an opportunity to join the majority leader, Harry Reid, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in delivering bipartisan reform. Voters are watching closely to see if Congress finally has the courage to clean itself up.

House overwhelmingly passes lobbying reform bill

The U. S House of Representatives, by a 411 to 8 vote Tuesday passed a bill called the biggest ethics reform bill since the Watergate era. The bill still faces hurdles in the Senate.
Unfortunately for Missouri, two of the eight "no" votes were cast by representatives from the Show-Me State, Democrats Lacy Clay and Emanuel Cleaver.
The rest of the Missouri delegation, including Seventh District Congressman Roy Blunt, R-Strafford, and Fourth District Congressman Ike Skelton, D-Lexington, voted for the bill.
The bill calls for the following:

• Senators must disclose special spending projects called "earmarks" two days before a vote and must certify that they or their family members do not have a financial interest in the project. (The House adopted similar rules in January.)

• Lawmakers and their staff may not accept gifts from lobbyists and their clients (The House adopted a gift ban in January.)

• Senators, Senate candidates and presidential candidates must pay charter rates when traveling on private planes. House members and candidates may not accept travel on private planes.

• Lawmakers convicted of bribery, perjury or similar crimes lose their retirement benefits.
ª Senators must wait two years before lobbying Congress after leaving office. House members and senior congressional staff members must wait one year.

• Lawmakers may not attend parties in their honor sponsored by lobbyists during national political conventions.

• Lawmakers and their staff may not influence employment decisions in exchange for political access.

• Lawmakers must disclose lobbyists who raise at least $15,000 for them within six months by “bundling” campaign donations from several contributors.

• Lobbyists must file reports twice as often each year, and for the first time must file them to a publicly searchable database.

SOURCES: Senate majority leader's office, Associated Press
The Washington Post

Television company stocks falling

The communications companies that own the Joplin-area television stations have seen stock prices falling for the past few weeks.
At the close of trading Tuesday, Saga Communications, owner of KOAM and KFJX, but primarily a radio company, was selling for $7.35 per share down from a little over $10 only a few weeks ago, and 27 cents lower than the previous day.
The news was better for Nexstar Broadcasting, owner of KSNF in Joplin and KSFX in Springfield, and de facto owner of KODE in Joplin and KOLR in Springfield, closed at $10.25, up 13 cents from the close of trading Monday, but considerably lower than the close to $15 per share it reached a few weeks back.

Court cuts off bank robber's taxpayer-financed appeals

Granby's most notorious bank robber will no longer be able to file his constant barrage of motions with the taxpayers funding the bill.
On July 26, Federal Judge Ortrie D. Smith rejected J. R. Embrey's latest request to file an appeal as a pauper. "This case has been closed for quite some time," Judge Smith wrote. Nonetheless, Defendant continues to assert his conviction violated his rights under the Second Amendment. This argument has been rejected repeatedly. Further attempts to litigate the issue are legally frivolous."

In May, a federal judge refused to grant a request for habeas corpus issued by Embrey. In 2006, the court rejected a request to toss out his sentence- the same ruling it made in December 2005. The U. S. Supreme Court has refused to hear his case.
According to his U. S. Supreme Court appeal, Embrey claims he should not have been sentenced to consecutive 20-year terms for bank robbery and kidnapping in connection with the March 11, 1979, robbery of a bank in Southwest City.
During that robbery, according to court records, Embrey and his half-brother, Luie White of Diamond, approached bank official Darrell Spillers and his family at their Southwest City home and demanded money. Spillers took more than $11,000 from the bank, while Embrey and White held his family hostage. Embrey and White left for Oklahoma in Spillers' car, taking him with them as "insurance," in case Spillers had called the police while he was at the bank.
When they reached their getaway car, they released Spillers unharmed. Embrey was later convicted in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on charges of armed bank robbery, in violation of the Federal Bank Robbery Act and kidnapping in violation of the Federal Kidnapping Act.
On Sept. 19, 1980, Embrey received the consecutive 20-year sentences. He received a break in 1997 when an appellate court panel ruled that he should not have received consecutive sentences and he was released since he had already served the time for one crime. The full court overruled that decision, however. Embrey was free on appeal, but he was unable to leave well enough alone.
On Dec. 5, 1998. Embrey, who is now 66 years old, and White, were each charged with possession of firearms by a convicted felon following a traffic stop, according to court records.
White, who was driving, initially denied knowing who Embrey was, according to a news release from the U. S. Attorney's office, but then identified him as Herbert Jensen. After further questioning, the passenger identified himself as William Embrey. The trooper asked for permission to search the car.
At that point, according to the federal indictment, Embrey began to show heart attack symptoms and asked for antiglycerine pills which he said were in the trunk of his car. Embrey has a history of heart problems.
As he got out of the car, the trooper noticed two 9 mm ammunition clips on the seat where Embrey was sitting, according to the indictment. After putting Embrey in an ambulance, authorities said, a loaded handgun was found on the ground where he had been sitting. Three shotguns, three revolvers, more ammunition, Halloween masks, wigs, makeup, gloves, a police scanner and two-way radios were also found in the car's trunk.
According to an Associated Press report, one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said state and federal authorities believed Embrey and White were preparing to rob another bank.
Since that time, Embrey has made at least two attempts to sue the Highway Patrol officers who stopped him. claiming they violated his civil rights. Embrey, acting as his own lawyer, claimed troopers Stephen L. Grass and C. N. Ponder, were "trolling the highways for the purpose of targeting out-of-state and rental vehicles then creating and/or finding reasons to stop said vehicles for the sole purpose of searching for drugs."

Government warns judge of possible conflict of interest involving Ellefsen lawyer

In documents filed Monday in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, government prosecutors in the fraud case against Carthage surgeon Brian Ellefsen asked for a hearing to determine if Ellefsen's attorney has a conflict of interest that should keep him from being involved in the case.
Ellefsen and his brother, Mark, a Carthage accountant, were indicted in April for tax fraud. The brothers are represented by different lawyers.
Brian Ellefsen's lawyer, Robert Alan Jones, Las Vegas, has represented numerous clients of Aegis, the Illinois-based company which, according to court documents "marketed and sold trust packages throughout the United States through a network of promoters, sub-promoters, managers, attorneys and accountants. Aegis, and many of its organizers and clients currently face prosecution in the Northern District of Illinois and throughout the United States, for tax evasion, false income tax returns, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and similar offenses." The prosecutors say Jones is representing Aegis clients in South Dakota, West Virginia, Illinois, and Ohio.
"Mr. Jones is one of the defense attorneys which Aegis recommends by name to its clients, and has benefited financially from his involvement in Aegis through fees paid by clients referred by Aegis and by his representation of at least one promoter and one return preparer." Pleadings in one case, the prosecutors say "indicate Mr. Jones has represented other Aegis clients having potential conflicts of interest in both criminal and tax court matters simultaneously."

Though he is recommended by Aegis, the prosecutors say "Press accounts of Mr. Jones's other trials involving Aegis clients indicate that, in at least one case, he argued that his clients had been 'duped' by the Aegis accountants." When the government sent Jones a letter indicating it would recommend an investigation into whether he had conflicts of interest, Jones evaded the issue, they said, and instead threatened to file ethical complaints against the prosecutors.

In their filing, prosecutors noted that "evidence Mr. Jones otherwise would introduce to exculpate defendant Brian Ellefsen may tend to incriminate his other clients."

The possibility also exists, court documents indicate, that Jones may have a prior role in the Ellefsen case. "The government is unaware at what point the defendants first obtained legal or tax advice from Mr. Jones." If Ellefsen says he relied on Jones' advice, then Jones would have to be called as a witness and therefore would have a conflict of interest, according to the prosecutors.

The Ellefsens pleaded not guilty in May. The Ellefsens were indicted in April by a federal grand jury. According to court documents, the Ellefsens were involved in a 10-year scheme to divert at least $1.567 million into offshore accounts to avoid paying income tax. Mark Ellefsen was office manager for Southwest Bone and Joint, the business run by Brian Ellefsen.
The indictment said Brian Ellefsen used the diverted funds to "pay for cash withdrawals and charges made on the offshore credit card, payments for (his) personal expenses, payments on loans owned by (him), expenditures for the construction of (his) family home, and expenditures for the purchase of another residence located on Table Rock Lake, Missouri."

The Ellefsens misled the accounting firm preparing their income tax returns, according to the indictments, causing false income tax returns to be filed.

Nodler tops area senators in lobbyists' gifts

Gary Nodler received more gifts from lobbyists in June than four other southwest Missouri senators combined.
According to Missouri Ethics Commission documents posted earlier this morning, Nodler received $161.24 worth of gifts during the month, while senators Norma Champion, R-Springfield, Dan Clemons, R-Marshfield, Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, and Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, did not accept any gifts.
David Winton, representing his own lobbying firm, Penman & Winton, according to the documents, paid $141.24 for travel and lodging for Nodler on June 1, while Thomas Krewson, representing Comcast, bought Nodler a $20 Kansas City Royals ticket on June 14.
For the year, Clemons tops area senators with $977.25 in gifts, followed by Nodler $962.05, Goodman $509.58, Scott $352.25, and Mrs. Champion $253.06.