Hartzler: We must never forget the Greatest Generation

(From Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler)

This week marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was on September 2, 1945 that Japan signed the terms of unconditional surrender aboard the USS Missouri, which was anchored in Tokyo Bay.

The USS Missouri, the last American battleship to be built and the last to be decommissioned, now stands silent guard over Pearl Harbor, the site of the December 7, 1941 sneak attack that propelled America’s entry into the war.

I was privileged to represent Missouri this week as a member of the Armed Services Committee to participate in ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the end of hostilities. I was deeply moved to meet and visit with WW II veterans who had been young sailors on board 70 years ago and witnessed the historic signing. We are free today due to their bravery and sacrifice.

The “Mighty Mo” and the nearby USS Arizona Memorial, the final resting place for sailors and Marines who were killed aboard the Arizona that fateful day in 1941, sit in Pearl Harbor bow to bow. These two ships serve as bookends of America’s involvement in World War II representing the heartbreak of the tragic beginning and hope for a brighter future at the end of the conflict.

This surprise attack on “Battleship Row” led America to join our allies in bringing peace to the world. Our “Greatest Generation” lined up at recruitment centers all across our country to enlist and to take up arms against Japan, which dominated the Pacific, and the Nazis, who had seized control of Europe. What these men and women did not only saved our country, but the entire world.

As I stood aboard the USS Missouri, I could picture the events of that day when General Douglas MacArthur presided over Japan’s formal surrender and the restoration of world peace. It was another day that lived in infamy which began a new day.

We must never forget the bravery of those who answered the call, giving their all to bring an end to the deadliest war in human history. It was an honor to play a small role in commemorating their contributions to our country and the world. I thank them and veterans past, present, and future. We will forever be grateful for all they have done.

Couple pleads not guilty as preparations made to fly child to Hawaii for funeral

A public defender was appointed today for the woman charged with the felony abuse of a two-year-old Carthage girl that police say led to the girl's death.

Tearra Diane Olson, 20, Carthage, pleaded not guilty during a video arraignment. Her fiancee, Albert Steven O'Connor, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of endangering the welfare of the child. The two have only been in Carthage for a few months, coming here from Fairfield, California.

The probable cause affidavit indicates that O'Connor's daughter, Emalata Hoeft, had refused to eat, was crying, and a frustrated Olson slammed the girl's head against a hard surface three times.

Olson and O'Connor had left her alone at home, locked in her room, with a sippy cup, while he worked at Butterball and she worked at Flex-o-Lators, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The Carthage Press reports that Emalata's mother, Frida Hoeft, had booked a flight to Joplin last week to pick up Emalata. Hoeft and O'Connor had a shared custody agreement. Now Emalata will be flown to Honolulu, Hawaii, later this week for her burial.

Carthage's liquor store killer denied parole

The family of murder victim James Stemmons announced earlier this week that his killer, John Steven Martin, has been denied parole and will not be eligible for consideration again for five years.

The following item was posted on the "Deny Parole to John S. Martin" Facebook page:

The results are in... The quickest response in history we have received from the parole board. I am elated to announce this animal will be behind bars for an additional five years! That is the max time the parole board can give him. Considering his internal probation officer recommended parole, his good behavior, etc. this is definitely a victory for us. We don't have to see this animal's face until 2020!

Martin killed Stemmons, the owner of the Carthage Airport Liquor Store in 1974 and also killed another man.

When Martin was up for parole six years ago, the following statement was left on the online petition asking that he remain behind bars:

When he was last up for parole in 2009, the following statement was left on the online petition:

Regina G
Comments
My father was one of the arresting officers on this case, we had just moved here in 1974 and he worked for the sheriff's department. We came from California so you can imagine the horrific things he had already witnessed. But this case haunted my father until his death. When he looked at Mr. Martin and asked why he shot him (Mr Stemmons) Mr. Martin's response was "I just wanted to see someone die" the statement was horrific but it was the non-chalant way he said it that burdened my father's memories. There is always something that happens in our lifetime that stays with us and we just cannot forget. This was one of the few incidents that my father carried throughout his lifetime. Please do not let this man out on parole, unless you wish to put your family members in harm's way.

More background on the case can be found at this link.

KSN's Carla Pesono headed to Baton Rouge

Carla Pesono, the morning weather forecaster on KSN for the past two years, is heading to a similar position in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"Joplin will always have a place in my heart," she said, as she made the announcement on the morning show.

Pesono left the following message on her Facebook page:

Fans, this is my last week at KSN. I've accepted a Morning Weather position in Baton Rouge, LA. It has been an incredible 2 years, I've grown so much on a personal and profession level. Sad to have to say bye to you all. Thanks for starting your day with me, letting me tell your stories, give your weather forecasts and highlight your local restaurants. Joplin will always have a special place in my heart. I'm gonna miss this award winning morning team. Thank you to former Chief Meteorologist Gary Bandy and our News director Leisha Beard for letting me join the team.

KSN was Pesono's first professional job.

Frazier Glenn Miller apologizes for murders: I thought they were Jews

Deliberations on the penalty for convicted killer Frazier Glenn Miller will begin after the Labor Day holiday.

Penalty phase testimony concluded today for the Aurora man, who apologized for killing three people at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. "I thought they were Jewish," the avowed racist, who is acting as his own attorney, said.

Miller is a former candidate for Seventh District Congress and in 2006 created a stir in Joplin when he distributed a racist newspaper in the community.

Billy Long explains what a Congressman does

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

Many times folks think of their member of Congress as the person they see at the airport flying back and forth to Washington every week. Or perhaps they catch them on T.V. voting on the floor of the House of Representatives. Fly back and forth and vote pretty well sums up what people think we do.

I remember well something then-Congressman, now-Senator, Roy Blunt said to me in 2009 right after I announced I was running for congress. He said, "What you're doing right now is the worst part of the job – campaigning. The best part is when you get in office and can actually start helping constituents with their problems."

That point was driven home recently while I was touring the Midwest Dialysis Center in Springfield as the first patient I saw stopped me and said "I want to thank you for what you did for my daughter in dealing with the IRS - you really got her quick results". Around congressional offices it's referred to as 'Constituent Services". Whether you're having trouble with the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Veterans Affairs, Army Corps of Engineers, resolving passport issues at the Department of State, or any other government agency, I can assist in many cases. Submitting inquiries on your behalf and working through bureaucratic roadblocks is something all Congressional offices are able to assist with. As I tell everyone - I can't always promise a good result but I can promise a good effort in working to resolve your issues.

Seventh District constituents who are planning a trip to Washington, DC, can call or visit my website to request a tour of the United States Capitol, the White House, the Library of Congress, and other popular DC landmarks. My staff and I would be more than happy to help you make the most out of your visit to your nation’s capital.

Congressional offices also offer many programs, scholarships, and career advancement opportunities for students. I am honored to help rising high school seniors interested in service academy nominations complete the application process and am glad to assist individuals reach this noble goal. Additionally, each year the House of Representatives sponsors the Congressional Art Competition for high school students to showcase their artwork on the national stage. Each Congressional District winner’s artwork is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. And, for college students who want a front row seat to our nation’s government in action, my Joplin, Springfield and Washington offices offer internship opportunities.

I can also arrange for American flags to be flown over the Capitol in honor of special events. Orders for United States flags can be made on my website and by contacting any of my offices.

My staff and I stand ready to provide assistance and resources, and constituents should never hesitate to reach out to me.

Ridder survey: No complaints about principals, Central Office...in Mehlville

As work begins this week on an extensive effort to find out what Joplin wants from its school district, one thing is for certain.

The results Dr. Norm Ridder will receive are going to differ from those he received in Mehlville, where he served as interim superintendent during the 2014-2015 school year.

As Ridder completed his year in Mehlville and headed for Joplin, the school district he left still faced numerous issues, including a declining tax base and teachers who were leaving to take higher-paying jobs in area school districts, including Lindbergh where former Joplin R-8 Superintendent Jim Simpson is at the helm.

In fact, the problem was so bad, according to a KMOX report, that a record number of teachers left following the 2015 school year- 55 out of 715.

Compare that to Joplin, which has slightly less than 600 teachers and has lost between 350 and 400 over the past four years, with at least two years of losing more than 100 teachers.

But as Ridder left Mehlville, he, school officials, and the community were confident that the strategic plan that was created using the same process that began in Joplin Tuesday night will help that district to emerge from years of having no plan and jumping from one random initiative to another.

That sounds familiar and was the same note Ridder sounded during Tuesday's board meeting when he promised "a sharp focus," and noted that R-8 teachers and staff have had to go through "all kinds of initiatives," leading to "initiative fatigue."

While the lack of focus in Mehlville before Ridder's arrival mirrors what he has walked into in Joplin, it is almost certain that the results of the extensive study here will not find the same level of confidence in principals and top administrative staff that was found in Mehlville.

As Ridder and the cabinet developed the district’s strategic plan over the last year, he emphasized that the administrators assembled by (former Superintendent Eric) Knost were the youngest and most talented he worked with in 40 years of education —comprising what board Vice President Larry Felton called the “backbone of the whole district.”

During the teacher and principal surveys for the strategic plan, the district received no complaints about principals or Central Office, which Ridder called unprecedented.
Ridder has most likely already discovered that upper administration and principals are not "the backbone" of the Joplin R-8 School District. While there are exceptions among the principals, most of the upper-level administrative staff did not reach their present positions through any type of superior skill set (many are not qualified for the positions they hold), but through the ability to say the word "yes." Many of them were promoted through the mislabeled "teaching/learning coaches," which for the most part have served as spies for former Superintendent C. J. Huff and former Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer.

Those positions were added at Besendorfer's request, paid for by removing the professional development money from the individual schools and casting the district's professional development committee into oblivion.

The survey in Mehlville showed that teachers were concerned about the lack of support they were getting, primarily because teaching positions and paraprofessionals had to be cut because of the district's financial condition.

Joplin teachers will also talk about a lack of support, but not because of positions that have been eliminated. Teachers have not been supported on disciplinary issues with students for the past several years as upper level administrators pushed for statistics that showed they were eliminating discipline problems because referrals were down.

R-8 teachers will also talk about a lack of professional development that could bring improvement to their classrooms and a culture of fear that has been created as these upper-level administrators, some of the principals, and nearly all of the teaching/learning coaches demanded complete support for one initiative after another and punished those dared to offer even constructive criticism.

(That culture of fear, I might add, resulted in two employees leaving the district and an attempt to force another one out, simply because the Huff Administration believed they were supplying information to the Turner Report. None of the three were giving me any information.)

Judging from the conversations I have had with many parents over the past two years, Ridder will quickly discover (and may already have) that despite the fact that his predecessor's administration placed its top priority on public relations, the relations it had with the public did not go so smoothly.

Ridder will learn that the lack of trust he has gleaned through his conversations with teachers is also a serious concern for the community.

Fortunately for Ridder, though he has noted that the current board of education has much to learn, he does not have to deal with Mike Landis, Randy Steele, Anne Sharp, and the others who enabled C. J. Huff for seven years. The current board is made up of intelligent individuals with backgrounds in business, politics, education, and a much deeper understanding of what data is meaningful and what data is meaningless.

And thankfully, the current board can also tell the difference between Bright Futures and steps that can actually lead to bright futures.
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Thanks to all of you who have been spreading the word about Silver Lining in a Funnel Cloud: Greed, Corruption, and the Joplin Tornado. The book is available at Always Buying Books, Changing Hands Book Shoppe, and The Book Guy in Joplin, Pat's Books in Carthage, and Cato's Connection in Lamar, and can be purchased in paperback or e-book formats from Amazon.com.

Feds: Homeless couple charged with robbing Webb City bank

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

 A homeless woman and the man who served as her getaway driver have been charged in federal court with robbing two Kansas City metro area banks and a Webb City, Mo., bank this summer, according to Tammy Dickinson, U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

 Sheryl A. Stewart, 31, and Richard Zane Holliday, neither of whom have a known address, have been charged in separate criminal complaints. Holliday was charged today in a three-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Stewart was charged in a two-count criminal complaint on Aug. 26, 2015. Stewart and Holliday remain in federal custody pending their detention hearings.

 The criminal complaints allege that Stewart and Holliday stole $2,212 from Equity Bank, 6209 N.W. 63rdTerr., Kansas City, Mo., on June 24, 2015. According to affidavits submitted in support of the federal criminal complaints, Stewart allegedly walked up to a teller and handed her a handwritten note that read, “This is the robbery.  Give me all the money.  I am armed.”  The teller gave her money from her drawer, the affidavit says, and Stewart left the bank.

 The criminal complaints also allege that Stewart and Holliday stole $1,190 from Blue Ridge Bank and Trust, 621 N.W. Duncan Rd., Blue Springs, Mo., on July 8, 2015. According to affidavits, Stewart held up a piece of paper so a teller could read a note that said, in part, “keep smiling,” instructed the teller not to pull any alarms, and mentioned that Stewart was armed. The teller handed Stewart cash from her drawer, the affidavits say, and Stewart left the bank.

 Holliday is also charged with stealing $5,090 from Pinnacle Bank, 1010 S. Madison in Webb City, Mo., on July 14, 2015. According to the affidavit, a woman used a note to rob the bank. When the bank teller handed her the money, the robber walked quickly out the front door of the bank and got into a silver/gray-colored four-door Cadillac sedan (no license plate) with tinted windows parked north of the bank and backed up to the front sidewalk curb. The Cadillac, allegedly driven by Holliday, pulled away and went northbound out of sight.

 Based upon witness account and surveillance photos, the affidavits say, Holliday’s silver 2007 Cadillac was believed to have been involved in all three bank robberies.

 Multiple crime stopper tips were received by law enforcement, which identified Stewart as the bank robber.

 On Aug. 30, 2015, Stewart and Holliday were arrested in Cass County, Mo., after a tip was called in to the Cass County Sheriff’s Department regarding a sighting of Stewart and Holliday. Stewart and Holliday had entered a residence of an associate where deputies were alerted to their location. Holliday resisted arrest on outstanding warrants out of Oklahoma, and struck one of the deputies in the face. As a result of that injury, the deputy received multiple stitches. Holliday was confronted by another deputy and taken into custody.

 Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

 This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Y. Tabor. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the FBI.

Publisher: I don't believe what audit says about Woolston, O'Brian, Kuehn, Cage

Just a wild guess, but I would say the Joplin Globe has company in its desire to set aside the state audit that the public demanded.

In the latest issue of the Joplin Regional Business Journal, Publisher Larry Warren offers the old "mistakes were made," comment without, of course, saying what those mistakes are ,who made them, and how we can prevent them from ever happening again.

But Warren followed that, by blaming all of the city's woes on master developer David Wallace. "We were taken, not by our friends and neighbors, but by someone who preyed upon a tired and vulnerable community."

Warren was not pleased with the audit's comments on some of Joplin's biggest names. "One of the issues I have with the findings is in regards to Mike Woolston. I have known Mike for several years now, again it is my opinion, but Mike has served our country and our city with honor and integrity and no one will change my opinion on that. My opinion would also not be changed on the character or contributions of Charlie Kuehn, Rob O'Brian, or Jane Cage, who worked tirelessly during that time."

It appears with Michael Beatty at the Globe and Larry Warren at the Business Journal, there is no print source in Joplin willing to truthfully examine just what happened to bring Joplin to this point.

R-8 Board approves extensive plan to determine what Joplin wants

During a special meeting this evening, Interim Superintendent Norm Ridder told the Joplin R-8 Board of Education, he has talked with teachers in all areas of the school district and has determined "there is a strong sense of lack of trust" in the system.

"I am finding we're very dysfunctional as a system." That dysfunction, Ridder said, did not begin with his predecessor but dates back two decades, "though sometimes, it was functioning well."

Ridder said, "It's important that we allow the community to give us feedback, to give us what they want for their kids."

Board members heard a presentation from Marc Maness of Opinion Research Specialists in Springfield, who has worked with Ridder in Springfield and Mehlville, and told how his firm would collect the information the board needs to devise a strategic plan for the district.

Surveys are nothing new for this school district. They were conducted during the C. J. Huff Administration, but often the results were already determined and the questions were geared toward those results.

That kind of "input" is not what Maness outlined for the board.

His three-phase plan begins with extensive one-on-one interviews, lasting about an hour and a half each with teachers and staff, students, parents, and community members, with a secondary group, including board members, administrative staff, and teacher representatives also being interviewed.

Board member Gary Nodler asked about others who have a major impact on education, including DESE and the federal government and how this survey would deal with them.

Ridder said, "I am not that concerned about that. We need to find out what Joplin wants." At that point, he added, school officials will be able to do a better job of explaining the state and federal requirements to the public.

Focus groups will be held during the second phase, and the ones who were interviewed during the first phase will be consulted again.

Feedback will come from additional channels as needed, Maness said.

The final phase features the development of surveys based on the information that has been received during the initial phases. A random phone survey will be used, as well as an on-line survey of parents and staff.

After the surveys are completed, Maness indicated, the board will be able to develop targets for the strategic plan, which will be developed by December 1.

"You won't believe how easy it is to be a board member when you know what the public wants," Ridder said. "We have a community that will respond to a sharp focus."

The board approved the $55,000 plan, which will not be footed by the taxpayers, though Ridder gave the board that option. Ridder said he had talked with Brian Fogle of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, which had expressed an interest in funding the study. A mention was also made of the Joplin R-8 Foundation during board discussion.

Ridder said he would have the financing  information on the funding for the board at its regular meeting Tuesday, September 22.

"I''ll find ways to pay for this," Ridder said.

Board member Ron Gatz said, "We can't afford not to."