Community forum held for Joplin Schools bond issue

Link provided to details of latest sex charge against Kanakuk staffer

For the second time in three years, a trusted Kanakuk staff member has been charged with sex crimes involving underaged boys.

The grisly details of the allegations against Lee Bradberry, 22, Auburn, Ala., are spelled out in probable cause statements filed by the Taney County Sheriff's Department.

The crimes were allegedly committed against boys aged 12, 10, and 9.

City of Joplin invites volunteers to participate in one-year ceremony

(From the City of Joplin)

Planning continues for the one year anniversary of the May 22 tornado, entitled “A Day of Unity”, and all who have played a part in Joplin and Duquesne’s recovery are invited to participate. City officials also encourage volunteers who have come to our community and provided over 760,000 hours of service to return to Joplin and join us in this historical anniversary.

“We know there are many who have memories from this day, as well as the months following as we began putting our lives and our community back together,” said City Manager Mark Rohr. “That is why we’re planning a day with numerous activities in various locations. Residents, volunteers, business community members and our faith-based organizations all have been extremely important from the moments following the storm throughout today in our recovery efforts.  We encourage all to participate in the Day of Unity activities in the manner they find most appropriate for them. Staying together as one has been significant in our success in recovery efforts, and it will continue to provide benefits as we work together and finish the rebuilding process for a stronger and better community.”

As part of the Day of Unity, a walk along the tornado’s path from Range Line to Cunningham Park is being planned. This Walk of Unity will encompass several stops along the way with specific happenings being planned at these locations. Details will be announced as they are finalized.

During this planning phase, the community and the thousands of volunteers who have come to our aide are asked to mark their calendar, and begin planning how they would like to participate in this historic anniversary, whether walking, gathering at a certain location, or joining in the activities at Cunningham Park. If participating in the walk as a group, members may want to wear similar shirts for group identification or carry a simple flag stating their group’s name, city or affiliation.

“The Day of Unity is simply that – a day to come together as we are – and recognize the historic year that we’ve been through together,” said Rohr.

With all invited to participate, there are some groups and individuals who have inquired about assisting somehow during this community event. The Convention and Visitors Bureau will host a meeting in the near future for those wishing to help with the event. Please note: it is NOT NECESSARY to volunteer to assist in the event to attend.

“Many have put in long hours already by assisting in various ways. This day is a day to remember, to recover and to reunite with others who have endured this past year. We hope you can join us in A Day of Unity on May 22, 2012,” said Rohr.

Please watch for more announcements about other activities being planned for the Day of Unity.

Judge dismisses MSTA Facebook lawsuit

Saying that it was moot since a "fix" was put into place by the legislature during the fall special session, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem dismissed the Missouri State Teachers Association's lawsuit against the so-called Facebook Bill March 23.

Beetem also ended the injunction against enforcing the social media portion of Sen. Jane Cunningham's bill.

The fix to the bill, which removed the part banning Facebook communication between students and teachers, was not what Gov. Jay Nixon had in mind when he asked legislators to eliminate the section of the bill, but Nixon signed the bill into law anyway.

Though its proponents saw this as a win for teachers and for children's safety, I can still see many problems on the horizon as school boards are following the requirement to implement policies for teachers communicating with students. However, you look at it, these policies are automatically labeling teachers as sexual predators as a Newton County News article about protests about the new policy in the Seneca School District noted.

it should be mentioned also that the Seneca policy is virtually the same one most school districts have put into place- the policy recommended by the Missouri School Boards Association which has always had more concern about the possibility of school districts being sued than the First Amendment rights (and educational concerns) of students and teachers.

My guess is we will see test cases in court in the near future.

GateHouse CEO: We're not being paid fairly for our content

In an interview with NetNewsCheck, GateHouse Media CEO Michael Reed talked about the new paywalls being implemented by Gatehouse and other newspaper companies requiring readers to pay for some online content:

The industry has finally started to realize on a more mass scale that we’re not being compensated fairly for the content we produce. And the newspaper industry strongly believes that it produces some of the best, if not the best, content in the country. We’re just not being compensated like we should for a lot of the use of the content by other people. So there’s been a united front starting to form that says we need to be compensated for this great and valuable content we produce. It’s not there for other people to use for free for commercial purposes.

Of course, this comes from the same man who has collected lavish bonuses while cutting the staffs of local newspapers like The Carthage Press, Neosho Daily News, and Pittsburg Morning Sun to the bone, guaranteeing a lack of content that people might be willing to pay for online.

GateHouse Media newspapers to create website paywalls

Sometime this month, The Carthage Press, Neosho Daily News, and other GateHouse Media newspapers will start charging for some of the content on their websites.

The plan is mentioned in an article from the March 27 Moberly Monitor-Index:

Visitors to moberlymonitor.com will still get unlimited access to the website’s homepage, breaking news, obituaries, weather, blogs and multimedia offerings. But most other articles on the website, including general local news, entertainment, lifestyle, and in-depth sports stories, will fall into a paid category.
After reading 15 pay-category articles, readers who do not subscribe to the newspaper will be asked to pay a monthly subscription to gain unlimited access for the site.

I haven't heard what the local newspapers will charge, but Moberly prices are as follows:

Print subscribers will soon receive full website access as part of their subscription. Non-print subscribers can get full website access for $10.99 a month, or $131.88 annually. 

Kanakuk staff member arrested on sex charges

(For the latest update on the Kanakuk scandal, "A Godlike Man Named Joe, Sex With Underage Boys, And It's Not Penn State," go to this link.)


A $100,000 bond has been set for Lee Bradberry, 22, Auburn, Ala., the second Kanakuk Kamps staff member to be charged with felony sex crimes.

Online Taney County Circuit Court records indicate Bradberry faces two counts of statutory sodomy, two counts of child molestation, and single counts of sexual misconduct and attempted statutory sodomy, all allegedly taking place on June 21, 2011.

Conditions of Bradberry's bond include his having no contact with the underaged victims.

The charges, which were filed Friday, are the latest bad news to hit the Branson-based Kanakuk. Kanakuk was rocked in 2009 when one of its camp directors, Pete Newman, was arrested for committing several sex crimes against underage boys.

The allegations against Newman were outlined in Taney Count court documents. From the Sheriff's Department's investigative report:

"Between 2005 and 2008, Pete Newman became a close friend of his by attending family dinners, sleepovers, bible studies, taking vacations together and writing letters. Pete would hold one-on-one sessions with (the boy) in Pete's hot tub (at Pete's residence) and would request they be naked. Pete would discuss life's struggles with (him) and talk about masturbation. Pete would explain that if (the boy) would masturbate with him in his hot tub then there would be no lust and therefore (the boy) would not be sinning."

The boy told Roberts he and Newman masturbated together 10 times over a four-year period.

The sex went further than masturbation with another teenager, according to the report. After beginning with the masturbation sessions with the 13-year-old, the report said, "Pete started masturbating (the boy) and (the boy) would then masturbate Pete." That led to oral sex when the boy turned 15.

Newman allegedly used the hot tub trick on a 14-year-old, again resulting in mutual masturbation sessions.

When the Sheriff's Department began contacting former campers from other states, they heard more disturbing stories. Parents from Tennessee told the deputy their son, who was 14 at the time, reported engaging in the same type of activity with Newman.

Roberts described Newman's tactics, saying Newman became close to boys aged 11 to 15, hung out with them, gained their parents' trust, then beginning slowly with the hot tub and leading to sexual experiences. Roberts referred to it as "the grooming process" used by sexual offenders.

Charges have also been filed against Newman in Durango, Colo. From the Durango Herald:

He is suspected of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust in La Plata County. He faces numerous charges in Missouri for allegedly sexually assaulting boys, and other states are considering similar charges.

Newman was employed as a director with Kanakuk Kamps for about 10 years. The incident in La Plata County occurred in September 2008 at Kanakuk's K-Colorado campus near Vallecito. The local children's camp is now under new name and ownership.

Kanakuk Kamps hosts a variety of Christian summer camps for boys and girls between ages 7 and 18.

The Sheriff's Office declined to say whether the alleged victim in Colorado is a local resident. The agency is trying to determine whether there are more victims, said Investigator Sam Eggleston.

The Colorado charges were dropped after Newman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two life terms in prison. The accompanying video shows Newman speaking at his sentencing.

Newman's guilty plea did not end the problems for Kanakuk officials. The first lawsuit, filed Jan. 31, 2011, in Taney County Circuit Court, charges officials at the Christian sports camp Kanakuk with fraud for allowing Pete Newman to masquerade as a role model at the same time he was molesting scores of underage boys. The petition was filed on behalf of a Little Rock man who was only 12 years old when Newman allegedly began grooming him.

Among the allegations in that petition:

-Kanakuk officials had received sexual misconduct reports about Pete Newman as early as 1999. (He remained in Kanakuk's employ until 2009.)

-Kanakuk's cost-saving policies encouraged employees recruiting campers in the off-season to stay with families, providing opportunities for Newman to zero in on potential victims.

-Kanakuk promoted Newman as a "camp director, devoted husband, loving, beloved friend and mentor to youth" long after being made aware of sexual misconduct allegations. Camp officials also allowed Newman to "continue to promote himself all over America as an expert on teenage sexual purity."

-Newman had one-on-one Bible studies with boys in his hot tub.

-Newman used his unrestricted access to Kanakuk facilities to lure underage boys to the facilities during the off-season for sexual purposes.

-Newman bombarded the plaintiff, referred to as "John Doe, J. G." in the petition with phone calls and letters and engaged in phone sex with him.

-Newman had sexual relations with boys in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. (Not mentioned was Colorado where Newman, who is currently serving two life sentences plus 30 years in a Missouri penitentiary, still faces charges.)

-At a "Purity Conference" in Memphis, Newman engaged a group of boys in sex talk, telling them what it was like to "have sex with a woman now that he was married."

-Newman invited the plaintiff to a conference in Oklahoma where he tried to get the boy to engage in sodomy, was turned down, and finally convinced him to engage in a mutual masturbation session.

According to the petition, the plaintiff was first seduced by Newman on Feb. 7, 2003, and then again the following day at K-Kountry in Taney County, at an area known as "The Pit," a foam pit next to the gymnastics equipment.

In the summer of 2003, the petition says, Newman lured the children with a yellow jeep into "spending time with him on Kanakuk property."

During the Purity Conference in Tennessee in 2004, Newman again engaged in a mutual masturbation session with the boy and then took advantage of him at the conference in Oklahoma in 2005, according to the lawsuit.

Kanakuk officials and Newman are charged with fraud, negligent supervision of a minor, breach of fiduciary duty, negligent infliction of emotional damage, breach of duty in loco parentis (serving in place of the parents) and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

The petition indicates the plaintiff suffers from "severe depression and ongoing anxiety and that he is "psychologically confused and spiritually damaged by a person promoted to him by Kanakuk as a role model."



No trial date has been set.

Two months later, a second lawsuit was filed, this time in U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Texas child by his parents. The father of the child says Kanakuk CEO Joe White,a nationally known Christan motivational speaker, encouraged him to send his son to Kanakuk Kamp in Branson following a speech at a Promise Keepers meeting in Irving, Texas.

"Defendant Joe T. White appeared and lectured at a Promise Keepers event at Texas Stadium in Irvin Texas. (The father) attended this event and heard (his) presentation advocating Christian values." White spoke of Kanakuk Kamp and distributed literature, and later sent letters and Internet messages to him, his wife, and other parents encouraging them to send their children to the Missouri camp.

When their son was sent to the camp, the lawsuit said, Pete Newman, the camp director, sexually molested him, "appearing nude with an erection in a hot tub for Bible studies with (the boy) as Newman masturbated himself, he masturbated (the boy) and had the boy masturbate him."

The abuse also included games of naked truth or dare, and having the boy spend the night in Newman's living quarters, where he was sexually abused.

"At other times, Defendant Newman's inappropriate behavior and sexual abuse of (the boy) occurred in the presence of other Kanakuk Kamp personnel." The child was in the camp during the summers of 2005-2007. The lawsuit also names Kanakuk Ministries, Kanakuk Kamp, and every other name by which Kanakuk has been called as defendants.

"Newman used his position at Kanakuk Kamps as a means to abuse children such as John Doe I (as the boy is referred to throughout the petition) by developing the children's trust and friendship. This, coupled with Newman's mantle of authority as a director of Kanakuk Kamps, allowed Newman to sexually abuse and molest multiple boys through masturbation, oral sex, and sodomy."

The lawsuit charges that White and Kanakuk Ministries "had every reason to know Newman, a sexual predator, was operating freely in the Kanakuk Kamps and placing young boys at risk for sexual abuse and molestation and the lifelong burdens that childhood sexual abuse creates."

The petition goes into specifics about White's prior knowledge of Newman's perversions:

"At least as early as 1999, Defendant Joe T. White, Kanakuk Ministries and/or Kanakuk Heritage, Inc. knew that Newman, in the nude, was riding four-wheelers at the 'kamp' with nude 'kampers,' who were minor children entrusted to the care of Defendants. In response to this sexually inappropriate behavior, Newman was placed on probation."

That was not the last time Newman's perverted antics were known to White and Kanakuk officials, the lawsuit charges. "In or about 2003, a nude Defendant Newman was streaking through the 'kamp' property with nude minor 'kampers.' Although this conduct came to the attention of Defendants Joe T. White, Kanakuk Ministries, and/or Kanakuk, Heritage, Inc., again Newman remained on staff in easy reach of his future victims, including John Doe I."

The petition charges White and Kanakuk officials with negligence in allowing Newman anywhere near children. John Doe I "suffered injuries that have required and will continue to require medical and psychological care. The childhood sexual abuse of John Doe I in the context of what was purported to be Christian ministry further complicates his injuries and treatment.

White and Kanakuk are also charged with fraud, misrepresentation, and unfair and deceptive practices, negligent infliction of emotional distress. The parents are asking for medical expenses, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees and are requesting a jury trial.

The petition indicates they are asking for a figure "in excess of $75,000."

That case is scheduled to go to trial in the summer of 2013.


***

Available now: the most comprehensive book done yet about the Joplin Tornado and the events that have happened in the year since during the recovery of the city that wouldn't die.

Proposed Joplin master planners developing Taj Mahal of prairie dog towns

Wallace Bajjalli, the Sugar Land, Texas, firm the Joplin City Council is expected to hire as the master planner for its tornado recovery efforts, is in the midst of another major project in Amarillo, Texas- developing the "Taj Mahal of prairie dog towns."

Saturday's edition of the Amarillo Globe-News gives an account of the project, which involves creating a 168-acre downtown complex, tentatively called "Panhandle Pete's Premiere Prairie Dog Town."

“To call this simply a prairie dog town,” said Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole, “is to call Disneyland simply an amusement park. We certainly want public feedback on this, but once they see our vision for the future, they will see we’re looking at the Taj Mahal of prairie dog towns, and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Wallace Bajjali CEO David Wallace, who will be in Joplin for Monday night's City Council meeting was quoted as follows:

“Research has shown over and over that people, be it locals or tourists, have an affinity for a lively, progressive prairie dog town,” said David Wallace, CEO of Wallace Bajjali. “It’s family-oriented. It’s educational, and frankly, the critters are so darn cute.”

Democratic Governors Association gives half million to Jay Nixon

Forty-eight hour reports for the final two days of the quarter keep pouring in and most of them were coming for Gov. Jay Nixon today.

The big one was a $500,000 contribution from the Democratic Governors Association, Washington. D. C.

Nixon received an additional $77,500 in oversized contributions, all dated March 30 and posted today on the Missouri Ethics Commission website, including $25,000 from Independence attorney Kenneth McClain.

Including the $81,000 in oversized contributions reported Saturday, the governor has received nearly $660,000 in two days.

City of Joplin may hire rock and roll mayor as master developer

There is no word yet on whether David Wallace of the Wallace Bajjali development firm will break out into song during Monday night's Joplin City Council, but this farewell video he recorded when he decided not to run for re-election as mayor of Sugar Land, Texas, in 2008, indicates that he would be quite capable of doing so.

The city's Citizen Advisory Recovery Team (CART) has recommended that the City Council hire Wallace's firm as a master developer for the tornado recovery.

As noted earlier in The Turner Report, Wallace, who is the firm's CEO and his partner, Costa Bajjali, completed paying $60,000 fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday for fraud (though both Wallace and Bajjali have neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing and Joplin city officials have indicated they have looked into the matter and are satisfied with Wallace's version of events). Wallace and Bajjali also have until the end of this year to repay $1.2 million to investors.