Is the Joplin Globe truly the definition of fake news?

I can't decide whether the Joplin Globe has deliberately misled its readers with its coverage of the Victory Ministries lawsuit or whether the reporter and editors simply cannot understand the English language.

Today's page 4A article on the conclusion of the lawsuit, written by education reporter Emily Younker, has a final paragraph that is simply not true.

The article also fails to mention the name C. J. Huff even once and you cannot understand the lawsuit or its conclusion without understanding the role the Joplin R-8 School District's former superintendent played in it.

Of course, people who receive all of their information from the Globe still are unable to understand why the board of education rid itself of the self-proclaimed hero of the Joplin Tornado (or they believe that he really retired.)

The basic story is that the board decided not to appeal Judge Douglas Harpool's ruling on the amount of attorney fees (slightly more than $150,000) the district should pay the American Humanist Association and Benson and Associates, the law firms that represented Jane Doe, who sued the district over a May 2015 field trip taken by North Middle School students to Victory Ministries and Sports Complex.

The article concluded with this statement:

In 2015, the American Humanist Association filed suit against the school district on behalf of a parent over student field trips to Victory Ministries and Sports Complex, which the group contended violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment calling for the separation of church and state.

Federal Judge Douglas Harpool agreed with that claim in March and barred the district from conducting future school-sponsored activities at Victory "or any other religious venue."

Sorry, Miss Younker, or whichever Globe editor butchered your story, but Harpool's ruling says nothing of the sort.

There is absolutely nothing to stop the Joplin R-8 School District from scheduling field trips to Victory or any other religious venue as Harpool made clear in his decision. In fact, his decision made it abundantly clear, that the MAP celebration field trip, a social occasion for the students, would not have been a problem were it not for the field trip permission slips from Victory that specifically allowed Victory employees to talk up their religion and allowed Victory to use photographs of the students in its advertising.

That information has never been mentioned in any of the Globe articles about this lawsuit.

Huff was warned about the permission slip problem in plenty of time to take corrective action, but instead blithely chose to ignore warnings that legal action might be filed.

After all, it was the taxpayers' money that was spent to settle this lawsuit, not Huff's and his retirement netted him a nifty quarter of a million going-away package, including $50,000 in consulting fees, a provision designed specifically so he could help with the lawsuits his leadership brought the district.

The Globe has never mentioned Huff's e-mail to American Humanities Association's legal director David Niose, in which he acknowledged the problem, but made it clear that he was not going to do a thing about it.

Thank you for your email regarding your concerns over the field trip to Victory Gym. The trip is a celebration for the hard work the students did this year. The students voted for this location. The activities and approaches are completely secular in nature. The permission slip was the standard waiver of Victory Gym. We have not had any parents contact us about concerns, but if they do, we will assure them the secular nature of the trip. Your email brings a good point for us to review the waivers of locations better so our communication can be clearer. I believe removing the language on the waiver would have created more clarity and removed the confusion for the parents regarding the nature of the trip. Definitely something for us to be diligent towards in the future. Thank you, again. CJ
What came out during discovery was that Victory Ministries officials offered to issue new permission slips that would remove the language that caused the problem.

Though there was time to do that and it would have put the district in a better position when the lawsuit was filed, Huff never bothered to follow through.

That was mentioned by Judge Harpool in his decision, though he did not mention Huff by name.

The) Court also considered that the Defendants had every opportunity to avoid this lawsuit. Defendants were put on notice far in advance of this litigation of the issues raised by Plaintiffs, but failed to proactively address or eliminate the problem with the consent and waiver form. The Court finds it unfortunate that in this case the taxpayers’ dollars will be used to pay for the Defendants’ failure to identify and correct this legal issue without the cost and expense of litigation.

Harpool also acknowledged that it was not a complete victory for the American Humanist Association when he trimmed their initial $211,000 request for legal fees down to $150,000.

In its legal brief opposing the attorney fees request, the R-8 District asked that the fees be reduced because it was not a total win for the AHA:

Plaintiff’s Complaint and Proposed Judgment sought an injunction wholly prohibiting Defendants from attending Victory. However, the relief actually awarded to Plaintiff fell far short. Instead, Defendants were enjoined from attending Victory under three enumerated conditions in the Court’s Judgment. Many of those conditions are ones that were not actually at issue in this case, e.g., there was no evidence that students were subjected to sermons.

Defendants did not—and would not—dispute that it would be improper to engage in the enumerated conditions. Defendants never claimed a desire to allow students to appear in religious promotions or to send out the release with the problematic language in the future. Instead, Defendants merely argued that the facts and circumstances of the trip to Victory had not violated those conditions. The injunctive relief actually granted Plaintiff falls far short of that sought in her Complaint and supports a reduction to the proposed fee award.

None of that information has ever made it to the pages of the Joplin Globe, which would appear to be attempting to demonize those who filed the lawsuit, while at the same time continuing its protection of the legacy of C. J. Huff. After all, this is the same newspaper that gushed on its editorial page after Huff "retired" over the high quality of the administrative team Huff hired (none of whom are with the district two years later).

The Globe also make a brief mention in today's article of the amount of money received by Jane Doe. "(Harpool) had previously awarded $1 in damages to the plaintiff." While that is true, the article fails to mention that the $1 amount is what Jane Doe requested.

Considering the liberties that were taken in the reporting of the Victory Ministries lawsuit and nearly all of the stories surrounding the problems during C. J. Huff's final years, the newspaper's ignoring of a domestic violence call to the home of former City Manager Mark Rohr, its complete neglect in reporting easily documented problems with Wallace Bajjali and the Joplin Blasters, it makes you wonder why we should believe anything that is printed in the area's "paper of record."

McCaskill: Thanks to those who are staying engaged and protecting our freedom

(From Sen. Claire McCaskill)

Happy July Fourth!

I wanted to be sure to reach out before the barbecue gets going and the fireworks start.

Every year, this holiday reminds me what makes our democracy so strong – and that’s people like you. People who care so much about this nation’s future that they’ve spent their lunch breaks over the last several months jamming the phone lines, mailboxes and even Twitter feeds of their representatives.

So thanks to everyone who's marching and going to town halls. Everyone who’s staying engaged. And to everyone who's serving bravely, protecting our freedom to do all that and more.

You all make me proud to wear the red, white and blue.

Greitens: Remember our founding fathers and have fun

(From Gov. Eric Greitens)

I loved Fourth of July as a kid.

Thanksgiving had food. Birthdays had gifts. But Independence Day had magic. We’d invite friends and neighbors over. Dad would light the grill. My brothers and I would pile our plates high, and then some. There was always room for an extra piece of pie. We’d enjoy the warmth of food and company until the Missouri sun set. Then we got down to serious business: fireworks!

In school, we learned that the Fourth of July was our nation’s birthday. They taught us about the American Revolution. We learned the familiar names: George Washington, John Adams, Patrick Henry. We studied the fierce battles: Bunker Hill, Lexington, Concord. We heard the famous lines: “Give me liberty or give me death!” and “These are the times that try men’s souls.” To a boy, it was a story of great action and adventure.

We were taught that it all started on a hot July day in 1776. That’s when fifty-six merchants, farmers, laborers, and lawyers did something incredible: they declared their own freedom from a king. They signed their names to a parchment and agreed to “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor.” The country they built didn’t exist yet. So their oath was to one another. It was my first taste of patriotism.

I learned more. I learned that on the day of the vote for independence, there was doubt and debate. King George was powerful, his army the strongest in the world. If they declared independence, every man in the room would be guilty of treason. They thought of their families and their countrymen. The years ahead would be bloody and long.

Was it worth it?

Legend has it that, at this moment, an older gentleman stood up. We don't know much about him. We don't even know his name. But we know what he did. He gave the speech to end all speeches. He listed every awful thing the King had done, and he spoke of what was at stake: the ability of the men in that room and their families to breathe free air.

His voice grew hoarse. With the little strength left in him, he finished: "They may turn every tree into a gallows, every hole into a grave, and yet the words of that parchment can never die. The words of this declaration will live in the world long after our bones are dust!…To the mechanic in the workshop, they will speak hope; to the slave in the mines, freedom. Sign that parchment! Sign if the next moment the noose is around your neck…Sign, and not only for your selves, but for all ages, for that parchment will be the textbook of freedom, the bible of the rights of man forever."

And that was that. The fifty-six men declared independence. They led their country through war. Some of their names we know; some have faded with time. All of them we honor on this day. We are their descendants, and we have been given their greatest gift: the nation they built free and strong.

Our Founding Fathers had hoped that we would use some part of today to remember them. And we will. But they also wanted us to have fun! John Adams, in a note to his wife, believed that Independence Day would be “celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.”

So cherish the day. Light up the sky. Celebrate with your loved ones. Eat too much pie. It’s how they would have wanted it.

Happy fourth everyone!

Eric

Video- This week in the Missouri Senate

Elevated lightning risk for Joplin area tonight, bigger storms coming Tuesday, Wednesday

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Springfield MO
702 PM CDT Sun Jul 2 2017

KSZ073-097-101-MOZ055>058-066>071-077>083-088>098-101>106-040015-
Bourbon-Crawford-Cherokee-Benton-Morgan-Miller-Maries-Vernon-
St. Clair-Hickory-Camden-Pulaski-Phelps-Barton-Cedar-Polk-Dallas-
Laclede-Texas-Dent-Jasper-Dade-Greene-Webster-Wright-Newton-
Lawrence-Christian-Douglas-Howell-Shannon-McDonald-Barry-Stone-
Taney-Ozark-Oregon-
702 PM CDT Sun Jul 2 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of the Missouri
Ozarks and extreme southeast Kansas.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Weather hazards expected...

  Limited Thunderstorm wind damage risk.
  Elevated Lightning risk.
  Limited Flooding risk.
  Limited Hail risk.

DISCUSSION...

  An area of thunderstorms will move east northeast from Oklahoma
  into portions of far southeastern Kansas and far southern
  Missouri this evening.

  There is a limited risk for strong to locally severe storms
  with winds up to 60 mph, hail up to size of nickels, frequent
  lightning, and locally heavy rainfall.

  The greatest risk for severe weather will be southwest of a
  Joplin to Springfield to Branson Missouri line.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

  Isolated to scattered storms will impact the outlook area
  Monday with more numerous thunderstorms expected Tuesday
  through Wednesday. The strongest storms will have the potential
  to produce wind gusts up to 60 mph, small hail, frequent
  lightning, and very heavy rainfall. The potential for localized
  flooding will have to be monitored if storms develop and move
  over the same areas.

  Isolated storm development cannot be ruled out on daily basis
  from late week into the weekend.

  Afternoon heat index values will climb into the middle and
  upper 90s, mainly late in the week.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

  Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight.

Arraignments scheduled in Barry, Lawrence counties for substitute teacher charged with sexual contact with student

An 8:30 a.m. July 27 arraignment has been scheduled in Barry County Circuit Court for a Monett substitute teacher charged with two counts of sexual contact with with a student.

Loryn Barclay, 24, posted $10,000 cash bond, according to Barry County online records.  Barclay had already posted a $25,000 surety bond in Lawrence County, where she is charged with two counts of the same crime with the same 17-year-old boy.

Her arraignment in Lawrence County is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 24.

School officials told the Monett Times Barclay had been working as a paraprofessional since the beginning of the year and was fired April 27, the same day officials learned about the sexual relationship. Before becoming a paraprofessional, she had worked as a substitute teacher.

Kim Frencken: The value of education

Is education truly valued?

 I'm not so sure that education is a valued commodity. In cultures, other than the U.S., education is valued. It must be earned. Failing to do so is an embarrassment. Here, and I'm sure in other places, failure is someone else's fault. Responsibility and Accountability have been replaced with Entitlement and Enabling. "Please help me" has been replaced with "Do it for me." 

 I don't operate that way. I worked long, hard hours to earn my degrees. Granted my freshman year in college was quite an adjustment (to say the least), but after that year I realized that I was ashamed of failure- still am. I wanted to achieve. I wanted to do well. I didn't want to disappoint my parents or shame them. I knew if I failed that it was my fault. I had no one else to blame. Consequently, the education I earned was my education. No one could, or can, steal it from me.

I am so privileged every time I work with a student who takes pride in their work and wants to achieve. Someone who wants to complete public school and attend college. Someone who understands that an education will open doors for them. Let me rephrase that last comment. Education will open doors for you if you have the initiative to knock. No one is going to beat down your door because you aced the physics test. No one is going to ring your doorbell because your instructor said that you had potential. Everyone has potential. To do something.

I had an interesting conversation with someone this week. Someone who stressed that they weren't afraid of work and realized that while they were in college they couldn't be picky. Their job choices were limited because of their school hours, but working was important because they would be networking with others and, hopefully, opening doors in preparation for graduation. Smart thinking! I did the same (not that I thought I doing the smart thing. I needed to work, so I worked). While I was in college I worked on campus and during summers off I worked at a job in the field in which I planned to make my career. I was a reliable and dedicated employee which earned a recommendation for my first job. I appreciated my manager providing such a valuable reference. Without my work history and my manager's reference, I wouldn't have landed such an awesome job right out of college. It took both my degree to qualify me and my work ethics to speak for me.

There is something to be said for work. Hard, honest work. Being dedicated and motivated. Add those qualities to an employee with an education and you have a keeper. Notice the combination. Experience + Education. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to hear a student talk about the high level job they are going to get as soon as they graduate. No entry level job for them! Then, when it doesn't happen, they are disappointed and think that an education isn't important and the college failed them. Well, no one failed them. They failed themselves by believing the lie. You have to demonstrate that you can put your book knowledge to work. Show those skills. Being book smart can't replace common sense or self-motivation. Put your education to work.

As educators, we want education and ourselves to be respected and valued. We can help our 'cause' by educating our students in real-world thinking. First, no one is going to give you anything. You need to earn it. And, let's use that term. Earn. We don't give our students an education, nor do we give them grades. They must earn them. Secondly, it is up to the student to use their education. There are no limits. Only the boundaries they place on themselves. A diploma sitting on a shelf won't do much good. Dust it off. Discover your potential.


So... is an education valuable? I think that it is the most valuable thing you can provide for yourself. But, don't provide the education without the experience or the willingness to use it. An education is only as good as the person who applies what they know.

(Kim Frencken is a former Joplin R-8 teacher and her writing can be found at her blog, Chocolate for the Teacher.)

Nancy Hughes devotion: Angels in the subway

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and
to bring you to the place I have prepared.”
Exodus 23:20 (NIV)

He didn’t look like an angel to me, at least not like any angel I had pictured. He had long dark dreadlocks curling almost to his waist and a red and black bandana tied at the back of his head. His sleeveless jacket was woven with what appeared to be strands of yarn in purple, red, yellow and green. His jeans were thin denim, frayed at the bottom.

I hadn’t even noticed him at first, sitting right next to me. My stress level was a 12 on a 10 scale as I watched the young woman in the next row alternate between leaning back in her seat and then slumping forward, her arms hugging her chest, her eyes closed.

We had been at the Passion Conference in the Georgia Dome in Atlantawhen she became quite ill and since I was the nurse with the group, I volunteered to get her back to the hotel. There was only one problem and it was a huge one.

I was not blessed with any sense of direction when I was created. None. I get lost in closets and small bathrooms. Every way I turn is north. Always. And she and I were on the MARTA – the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority – trying to get back to the airport to catch a shuttle to our hotel.

Directionally challenged. On the subway. In a strange city. Mercy.

She motioned for me to lean over and I heard her whisper “You know how to get us back, right Nurse Nancy?” I smiled confidently and said “Of course I do. We are going to be fine.” She leaned back and closed her eyes and I leaned back to find the young man next to me half-smiling. “You don’t know where you’re going, do you.” he stated quietly, not as a question, but as fact.

“Uh, no. No I don’t. But she is really sick and I have to get her back to our hotel” I told him as I silently prayed “Lord, help us! You know I have no sense of direction! Please get us back!”

Two minutes later the subway slowed to a stop and I felt panic begin to take over. Do we get off here? Do we ride further? What are we going to do? Suddenly I noticed that the young man had gotten up from his seat and was standing at the door, ready to leave.

But two other things also caught my eye: one, that he was very tall and two that he was motioning with his head that we were at our first stop. I grabbed the young lady with me and put my arm around her as I whispered “Come on. This is where we get off” with a confidence that I absolutely did not feel. We stepped out of the subway and into swarms of people trying to get around us to the seats we had just exited.

For a second time I felt panic begin to creep into my body when I noticed the young man glance back at me and once again nod his head as he walked around a corner. “This way,” I told her but stopped as I rounded the corner and realized there were four possible directions to go in and I had no idea which was the one for us.

“Lord!” I cried out in my heart and looked to my left. There at the top of a flight of stairs was a beautiful sight: a very tall young man with dark dreadlocks standing still on the first step, as the rush of people flowed around either side of him. And he was looking at me.

One more nod and I could not help the grin as I mouthed “Thank you” and helped the young woman with me as we followed him down the stairs to the next level in the subway.

“Wait right here,” I told her. “I want to thank that man who helped us.” But as I turned around, he was nowhere to be seen. Nowhere. A very tall young man with dark dreadlocks, a red and black bandana on his head and a colorful jacket had completely disappeared in a matter of seconds.

I turned back to the young woman and said “He’s gone! How could he have disappeared like that? He was so tall. I couldn’t have missed him!” We both looked at each other. “An angel. He must have been an angel,” I told her. She nodded. “God took care of us.” But we were not home yet.

This new level in the subway posed new problems. Which way to go now? The crowd of just a few minutes earlier was gone and we were left standing with only a woman and her baby in a stroller.

“You got us this far, Lord. Which way now? Which way?” I prayed. My answer came in the form of a very tiny lady in a blue shirt and slacks who suddenly appeared in front of me. “Where you goin’ Honey?” she asked. “We are trying to get back to the airport,” I told her. “My friend here is sick and I need to find the right subway car to get her there.”

Her smile was huge as she instructed me “You stay right here, facin’ this way,” she replied. “Don’t move ‘cause this car that’s comin’ is gonna take you to the airport. You stand in this spot you are in now and the doors will open right in front of you.”

“We are almost there!” I smiled excitedly at the young woman as I turned with an “Oh, thank….” But the tiny lady in the blue shirt who had helped us was gone. We looked around everywhere for her but she, too, had disappeared in seconds.

Would you believe that the subway car opened its doors directly in front of us? Yes, it did. And we were able to get back to the airport, to a shuttle and to the hotel to begin healing about 15 minutes later.

I have no plans to go back to Atlanta and the Georgia Dome any time in the future. But one thing I do know: if I ever ride the MARTA again, God will provide angels on the subway to get me home.

Father, you are amazing. Being lost in an unfamiliar place may not be hard for some people but it is for me. Thank you for sending help just when I needed it. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up
Reflect
Have you ever been in a situation where you panicked because you were “lost” as to what to do and received help from a stranger?

Application
The next time you are confronted with a problem with seemingly no solution, ask the Lord to send help to you and watch as He is faithful.

Power Verses
Exodus 23:20 (NIV) “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”
Psalm 91:11-12 (NIV) “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Luke 4:10 (NIV) “For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;”
Hebrews 1:14 (NIV) “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

(Nancy Hughes is an author and motivational speaker from Lamar. You can find more of her writing and information about her books on her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)

Links provided for top Turner Report/Inside Joplin posts for the week

A Seneca couple's search for their runaway child was the top post this week for all Turner Report/Inside Joplin blogs and at this point is the third most visited post since Inside Joplin was launched in November 2013.

The top post on the Turner Report was an attorney's contention in a bond reduction motion filed in Jasper County Circuit Court that former North Middle School reading teacher Amanda Schweitzer has been beaten in the Jasper County Jail.

The most commented on post this week has been the decision of the Joplin R-8 Board of Education to name former Webb City R-7 Superintendent Ron Lankford chief financial officer replacing Paul Barr.

The Turner Report

1. Court document: Former North Middle School teacher beaten in jail while awaiting trial on felony statutory rape charge

2. Ron Lankford to replace Barr as Joplin R-8 chief financial officer

3. Carthage man sentenced to 17 years in prison on statutory sodomy charges

4. Probable cause statement: Monett substitute teacher admits to sexual relationship with student

5. Remembering Larry Dixon

6. Christian elementary principal pleads guilty to child pornography charge

7. Joplin R-8 Board approves payment of $150,000+ in attorney fees for Victory Ministries lawsuit

8. Joplin R-8 Board hires 19 teachers, seven classified workers, accepts three resignations

9. Ten lawsuits alleging assault and battery, malpractice filed against former Joplin pediatric surgeon

10. Federal grand jury indicts Joplin man on child pornography charge

Inside Joplin

1. Seneca couple searching for their missing son

2. Neosho teen killed in one-car accident on Parrot Road

3. Police: Heavyset bearded man offers Webb City children money for sexual acts

4. Lockwood woman killed in head-on crash

5. Joplin Police Department Arrests

6. Joplin Police Department Arrests June 26-27

7. Jasper County Sheriff's Office Arrests

8. Jasper County SWAT team raid nets three arrests, seizure of meth, stolen property

9. Joplin Police Department Arrests June 29-30

10. Jasper County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

Inside Joplin Obituaries

1. Eric Slagle

2. Jaclynn Little

3. Colton Tyler

4. Dino Wiggin

5. Tim Allen

6. Dewey Combs

7. Cindy Brown

8. Vernon Baiamonte

9. Mia Flynn

10. Lucille Sappington

***
The Turner Report/Inside Joplin blogs continue to provide an alternative source of news for southwest Missouri offering news and commentary not available anywhere else. Please consider supporting this news operation by taking a subscription or making a contribution, either by using the PayPal buttons below or by sending a check to Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Joplin, MO 64801.

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Greitens forms task force to reform prison system

(From Gov. Eric Greitens)

Governor Eric Greitens signed an executive order forming a task force to reform Missouri’s corrections system. This task force will follow a data-driven approach to develop policies that improve public safety, reduce corrections spending, and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease crime and reduce recidivism. A bipartisan group will work with The Council of State Governments Justice Center to merge data across criminal justice agencies and leverage lessons and research from other states to improve our criminal justice system.

Governor Greitens released the following statement, “Our prison system wastes your money and it wastes people's lives. We have to fix it.

Tonight, a young man will leave a prison in Missouri. He will grab what he brought with him, step outside a chain-link fence, and go back to his old neighborhood.

He doesn't know what to do. He has no job. He has no money. So he will do what he did before he went to prison. And odds are, he'll end up right back in prison.

Here's what should happen. In prison, that young man learns a trade. He goes to a program to help him become a better father. Faith leaders teach him right and wrong. He works hard, stays out of trouble, and earns his GED.

Now, he's got a path in life. And he has the tools to go back and live right. He's not going to harm anyone.

That is what will keep our streets safe. It's what makes the millions of dollars of tax money spent on this system worth something.

This isn't just a nice idea. It's what we are building in Missouri.

Yesterday I went to Northeast Correctional Center in Bowling Green. I met an inmate who wants to drive trucks. He's studying to do that. When he comes out, he'll go to work. He will be a responsible citizen.

This isn't an easy problem, and it won't be fixed overnight.

Our Director of Corrections, Anne Precythe, is on the front lines of this problem. She inherited a mess: morale was low, officers were mistreated, not all inmates had a plan for their release.

She's getting things done. She's hired new people to run the department. She's fired poor leaders. She's fought to improve morale and work conditions for corrections officers. She's created strong rules for Release Centers, to make sure people are released only if they're going to job or a job interview. She's started training and education programs. In short, she and her team are putting the “correcting” back into corrections.

Today we signed an executive order that creates a task force to fix the system. People told us not to touch this problem. They said it's too hard. They said the system wouldn't change.

We told them: we didn't come here to do the easy stuff. We came here to make Missouri safer and save people money. And that's what we are doing.

You can read more about Anne's work here: http://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2017/jun/25/a-new-course-for-corrections/679487/”