Neosho Daily News Publisher Rick Rogers's column featured a few paragraphs about Gary Nodler's theater meltdown:
"Boy, I bet Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, wishes he decided to do a little work Friday afternoon instead of seeing a matinee at the theater.
Nodler is taking a lot of heat in the media and on Web sites concerning his argument with an aide for developmentally disabled adults at a showing of the "Fantastic Four" at Joplin's Northstar 14 theater. Nodler and his brother walked out of the theater, complaining about the noise, which the aide found offensive to her group. Then word leaked that Nodler, along with other state lawmakers, receive free passes to movies from the United Motion Picture Association. In these days when cuts in the budget have severely hurt state programs -- like developmentally disabled support groups -- one would think Sen. Nodler would be a little more understanding toward this group of constituents, especially when that group of moviegoers actually paid to get into the theater."
Monday, August 15, 2005
Motion to dismiss lawsuit against priest, church, denied
A motion to dismiss Glenna McKitterick's wrongful dismissal/sexual harassment lawsuit against Father Phillip Bucher, Bishop John J. Liebrecht, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Ozarks Catholic Church was denied, according to an order filed today in federal court.
The decision came on a technicality since the motion to dismiss was for Ms. McKitterick's original complaint and she has since filed an amended complaint in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
More information about the lawsuit can be found at:http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/priest-responds-to-mckitterick-lawsuit.html
The decision came on a technicality since the motion to dismiss was for Ms. McKitterick's original complaint and she has since filed an amended complaint in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
More information about the lawsuit can be found at:http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/07/priest-responds-to-mckitterick-lawsuit.html
O'Sullivan Industries buys time with agreement
The bill collectors are still pounding on the doors but O'Sullivan Industries officials have managed to get them to agree to hold off while they restructure their business.
In a news release issued today and filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, O'Sullivan's million-dollar CEO Bob Parker says the company has entered into a forebearance agreement with the controlling holders of its 10.63 percent senior secured notes due 2008.
As you recall, O'Sullivan announced last month it was not going to be able to make the payment on the debt. The new agreement will give the company until Sept. 15 to get its act together, though extensions may be granted with the approval of both sides.
"We will continue to negotiate the terms of a financial restructuring with our noteholders and others during the time afforded us by the forbearance agreement, and we expect to maintain normal operations throughout the financial restructuring process," Parker said. "We will continue to provide our customers with the same high-quality products and superior customer service without any interruption, and will continue to act responsibly toward our employees and vendors."
Parker did not mention whether he considered the firing of long-time faithful employees and the recent layoff of 144 workers to be acting responsibly.
If O'Sullivan Industries fails to pay the interest on its notes within this grace period, it will constitute a default under its credit agreement of 2003, according to the news release.
O'Sullivan officials are working to amend the credit agreement, the news release said.
The company has hired Lazard Freres & Co LLC, an international firm with extensive experience in restructuring troubled companies to serve as its financial advisor and Dechert LLP to serve as its legal advisor.
It should be interesting to read O'Sullivan Industries' next quarterly report to see if this constitutes the usual "everything is going according to plan."
In a news release issued today and filed with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, O'Sullivan's million-dollar CEO Bob Parker says the company has entered into a forebearance agreement with the controlling holders of its 10.63 percent senior secured notes due 2008.
As you recall, O'Sullivan announced last month it was not going to be able to make the payment on the debt. The new agreement will give the company until Sept. 15 to get its act together, though extensions may be granted with the approval of both sides.
"We will continue to negotiate the terms of a financial restructuring with our noteholders and others during the time afforded us by the forbearance agreement, and we expect to maintain normal operations throughout the financial restructuring process," Parker said. "We will continue to provide our customers with the same high-quality products and superior customer service without any interruption, and will continue to act responsibly toward our employees and vendors."
Parker did not mention whether he considered the firing of long-time faithful employees and the recent layoff of 144 workers to be acting responsibly.
If O'Sullivan Industries fails to pay the interest on its notes within this grace period, it will constitute a default under its credit agreement of 2003, according to the news release.
O'Sullivan officials are working to amend the credit agreement, the news release said.
The company has hired Lazard Freres & Co LLC, an international firm with extensive experience in restructuring troubled companies to serve as its financial advisor and Dechert LLP to serve as its legal advisor.
It should be interesting to read O'Sullivan Industries' next quarterly report to see if this constitutes the usual "everything is going according to plan."
Another adventure begins today
School starts today in the Joplin R-8 School District and as regular readers of this blog know, I am ready.
This is my third year teaching eighth grade communication arts (English) at South Middle School, and my seventh year of teaching. Teachers' meetings began Thursday with a huge pep rally for all district personnel at the high school auditorium, followed by departmental meetings, and then meetings at our schools. On Friday, we had more meetings and spent time working on our rooms, fine-tuning lesson plans, etc.
Today, we find out just how successfully we prepared.
***
Natural Disaster, the 50s-60s rock group I perform with, played at a benefit at the Pulaskifield Catholic Church near Pierce City Saturday night. Someone asked if we knew "Proud Mary." I said, "I dated her in high school. She wasn't proud back then."
I need some new material.
This is my third year teaching eighth grade communication arts (English) at South Middle School, and my seventh year of teaching. Teachers' meetings began Thursday with a huge pep rally for all district personnel at the high school auditorium, followed by departmental meetings, and then meetings at our schools. On Friday, we had more meetings and spent time working on our rooms, fine-tuning lesson plans, etc.
Today, we find out just how successfully we prepared.
***
Natural Disaster, the 50s-60s rock group I perform with, played at a benefit at the Pulaskifield Catholic Church near Pierce City Saturday night. Someone asked if we knew "Proud Mary." I said, "I dated her in high school. She wasn't proud back then."
I need some new material.
Hall profiled in Claremore newspaper
Author and minor league baseball expert John Hall, a Carthage native, was profiled over the weekend in the Claremore, Okla. Progress.
Hall is the author of three books, with the most recent being "Mickey Mantle: Before the Glory." You can find the article at:
http://www.claremoreprogress.com/archive/article21387
Hall is the author of three books, with the most recent being "Mickey Mantle: Before the Glory." You can find the article at:
http://www.claremoreprogress.com/archive/article21387
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Response given to Washington Post's Branson story
One week ago, The Washington Post ran a feature which started out as an examination of the city of Branson's efforts to attract a more upscale tourist. The article quickly degenerated into one stereotype after another about rednecks, Bush supporters, and all of the other people who, according to the Post writer, make up the entire population of Branson.
David Rust of Kirbyville came across my blog, looked up the Post article and fired off a response to the newspaper, a copy of which he e-mailed to me"
Dear Editor:
I found your article about Branson, Missouri in the August 8th issue quite by accident. I am glad I came across it; however, its contents were quite upsetting.
I know you were brought here by the so called bible-toting individuals of which you quote so freely. Let me tell you, this is not the Utopia they would have you believe; there are murders, drugs, Meth Labs, crime of all kinds. In fact this area probably leads the State of Missouri in drug lab raids. Why, because of the low wages, seasonal employment, lack of benefits. People who work for wages here are little more than indentured servants to the privileged. Minimum wages jobs are very plentiful, $6. and $7. an hour job are commonplace. Recently OACAC had a session where the privileged could participate in a day long session and see what it was like to live in poverty. This is the very poverty they help create and perpetuate. Benefits, and health care, no way. It just isn't here.
We Democrats are alive and well in SW Missouri. While it is true we won few seats in recent elections, we can say honestly we didn't have to have John Ashcroft blather in the Pulpit on Sunday to promote our cause.
You make note there are few African Americans here in Branson. A remark like this has no place in our society. You might be interested to know Charley Pride has performed many many times in Branson, and has a very large fan group. A well loved and respected performer. To allude to the fact that Blacks are not here or perhaps are not welcome here is just wrong!
There was a recent article in the Branson papers about the homeless that lived in the woods and under bridges around this area. This is the forgotten element of our society that these bible thumpers neither care about nor want to hear about. They want them kept out of sight, after all visitors might get the wrong idea.
So my friend, come back, talk with some of us that know the area for what it is, and what it once was, and we will open your blinded eyes and remove some of the phony "scriptures" according to St. Peter and show you the real truth about the Branson area.
Sincerely,
David Rust
2151 Deer Lane
Kirbyville, Mo. 65679
While I don't necessarily agree with Mr. Rust on all of his observations, I am happy that someone took on this preconceived notions that The Washington Post dressed up as investigative reporting.
To read The Turner Report's Aug. 8 post on the subject, go to:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/branson-subject-of-washington-post.html That entry also features a link to the original Washington Post article.
***
Dr. Fred Pfister of Branson, author of "The Insider's Guide to Branson and the Ozark Mountains" also wrote to the Post to protest the article. This is what he wrote:
Dear Editor:
It's always interesting to read a piece by outsiders about folks in Branson and the Ozarks. They tend see what they want to see, and they parrot whatever the Chamber of Commerce and town boosters provide them.
Sure, it's great living in the Ozarks, but we have our problems. It's the buckle of the Bible Belt, but not all Christians living here and visiting Branson are of the narrow, unthinking, non-birth control-using, Bush-supporting, Limbaugh-listening, FOX-watching folks Lois Romano portrays.
Lois should have seen the six people recently who walked out of a Branson theatre after a Limbaugh-type, anti-Demoncrat joke. She should visit the Branson kindergarten classes, which have 4 or 5 Hispanics in every one of the 24 classes. And she must have missed the African-Americans in audience and on our stages.
Though we welcome them, our visitors and the attendant growth have caused urban sprawl and environmental problems. The area has low wages and a seasonal labor demand. Get beyond the facade of Branson's theatres and the glitz on The Strip and you can find poverty equal to any urban area or the rural boondocks of any red state. The county has a high rate of child abuse, the highest abortion rate in the state, a high percentage of teen mothers, and more than its share of meth labs in the state infamous for ranking number one in meth lab busts in the nation.
Sure we're proud of being Ozarkers, but we are able to see ourselves for what we really are, warts and all—and not what a provincial East Coast writer who never talked to a real hillbilly and who obviously never got beyond the city limits wants to think we are.
Dr. Fred R. Pfister
David Rust of Kirbyville came across my blog, looked up the Post article and fired off a response to the newspaper, a copy of which he e-mailed to me"
Dear Editor:
I found your article about Branson, Missouri in the August 8th issue quite by accident. I am glad I came across it; however, its contents were quite upsetting.
I know you were brought here by the so called bible-toting individuals of which you quote so freely. Let me tell you, this is not the Utopia they would have you believe; there are murders, drugs, Meth Labs, crime of all kinds. In fact this area probably leads the State of Missouri in drug lab raids. Why, because of the low wages, seasonal employment, lack of benefits. People who work for wages here are little more than indentured servants to the privileged. Minimum wages jobs are very plentiful, $6. and $7. an hour job are commonplace. Recently OACAC had a session where the privileged could participate in a day long session and see what it was like to live in poverty. This is the very poverty they help create and perpetuate. Benefits, and health care, no way. It just isn't here.
We Democrats are alive and well in SW Missouri. While it is true we won few seats in recent elections, we can say honestly we didn't have to have John Ashcroft blather in the Pulpit on Sunday to promote our cause.
You make note there are few African Americans here in Branson. A remark like this has no place in our society. You might be interested to know Charley Pride has performed many many times in Branson, and has a very large fan group. A well loved and respected performer. To allude to the fact that Blacks are not here or perhaps are not welcome here is just wrong!
There was a recent article in the Branson papers about the homeless that lived in the woods and under bridges around this area. This is the forgotten element of our society that these bible thumpers neither care about nor want to hear about. They want them kept out of sight, after all visitors might get the wrong idea.
So my friend, come back, talk with some of us that know the area for what it is, and what it once was, and we will open your blinded eyes and remove some of the phony "scriptures" according to St. Peter and show you the real truth about the Branson area.
Sincerely,
David Rust
2151 Deer Lane
Kirbyville, Mo. 65679
While I don't necessarily agree with Mr. Rust on all of his observations, I am happy that someone took on this preconceived notions that The Washington Post dressed up as investigative reporting.
To read The Turner Report's Aug. 8 post on the subject, go to:
http://rturner229.blogspot.com/2005/08/branson-subject-of-washington-post.html That entry also features a link to the original Washington Post article.
***
Dr. Fred Pfister of Branson, author of "The Insider's Guide to Branson and the Ozark Mountains" also wrote to the Post to protest the article. This is what he wrote:
Dear Editor:
It's always interesting to read a piece by outsiders about folks in Branson and the Ozarks. They tend see what they want to see, and they parrot whatever the Chamber of Commerce and town boosters provide them.
Sure, it's great living in the Ozarks, but we have our problems. It's the buckle of the Bible Belt, but not all Christians living here and visiting Branson are of the narrow, unthinking, non-birth control-using, Bush-supporting, Limbaugh-listening, FOX-watching folks Lois Romano portrays.
Lois should have seen the six people recently who walked out of a Branson theatre after a Limbaugh-type, anti-Demoncrat joke. She should visit the Branson kindergarten classes, which have 4 or 5 Hispanics in every one of the 24 classes. And she must have missed the African-Americans in audience and on our stages.
Though we welcome them, our visitors and the attendant growth have caused urban sprawl and environmental problems. The area has low wages and a seasonal labor demand. Get beyond the facade of Branson's theatres and the glitz on The Strip and you can find poverty equal to any urban area or the rural boondocks of any red state. The county has a high rate of child abuse, the highest abortion rate in the state, a high percentage of teen mothers, and more than its share of meth labs in the state infamous for ranking number one in meth lab busts in the nation.
Sure we're proud of being Ozarkers, but we are able to see ourselves for what we really are, warts and all—and not what a provincial East Coast writer who never talked to a real hillbilly and who obviously never got beyond the city limits wants to think we are.
Dr. Fred R. Pfister
Teachers leaving the profession
Today's Kansas City Star features an interesting article concerning the number of teachers who are leaving the profession.
Some of these are retiring, but according to the article, 36 percent of new teachers are leaving before they have taught for five years. Of course, the people who are most affected by these departures are the students.
Some teachers leave because of the low pay or because they feel they are not receiving any respect from administrators, parents, or pupils. Part of the problem is the mindset behind programs such as No Child Left Behind.
Is it no secret that I am extremely skeptical of this program and not because of any lack of funding or any of the other reasons given by opponents. I felt when this program was first proposed and I still feel that its name is a slap in the face to educators across the United States.
President Bush gave the impression during his initial speeches on the program that "No Child Left Behind" was some dramatic new approach to education. It is not.
I can't think of a single teacher who ever said, "Well, we're going to have to leave some children behind. Mary, we're leaving you behind, and Charles, I'm afraid you missed the boat, too."
The president and his supporters were leaving the impression that teachers and administrators were going blithely about their business, with no concern whatsoever about dropouts or students who were not getting the most out of their education.
I can't remember running into any educators who felt that way, either during my six-plus years as a teacher or in the 22 years in which I covered area schools as a reporter.
So how do we show that we are leaving no child behind? Standardized tests, of course. And the first thing most states have done is to water down their standards so they can meet the requirements of the new law. We have no idea whether education is improving or not.
But there is a bigger problem facing education, a much bigger problem.
For all of the effort that teachers, administrators, and support personnel put in to provide children with the best education possible, there are some things that we have no control over.
-We have no control over students' home lives, more and more of which include broken homes, drug use, alcoholism, and poverty.
-We have many students coming from homes which have few, if any, books, newspapers, or magazines to encourage reading.
-We are in the middle of a turn toward pro-business domestic policies that seem designed to sharply increase the wealth of a few, while cutting the salaries and the benefits, even the jobs, of many.
-We are seeing an undercutting of the public education system by politicians who see private schools as a cureall for everything that ails education in America. If the private schools end up having to abide by the same rules that public schools go by, they will end up having to deal with the same problems the public schools are facing.
As long as education continues to be a cheap political issue for every demagogue on both sides of the aisle, you will continue to have serious problems and you will continue to have people who decide to leave the profession.
"No Child Left Behind" has always been the goal of American educators, long before President Bush's people coined the name. It will always remain our goal.
Some of these are retiring, but according to the article, 36 percent of new teachers are leaving before they have taught for five years. Of course, the people who are most affected by these departures are the students.
Some teachers leave because of the low pay or because they feel they are not receiving any respect from administrators, parents, or pupils. Part of the problem is the mindset behind programs such as No Child Left Behind.
Is it no secret that I am extremely skeptical of this program and not because of any lack of funding or any of the other reasons given by opponents. I felt when this program was first proposed and I still feel that its name is a slap in the face to educators across the United States.
President Bush gave the impression during his initial speeches on the program that "No Child Left Behind" was some dramatic new approach to education. It is not.
I can't think of a single teacher who ever said, "Well, we're going to have to leave some children behind. Mary, we're leaving you behind, and Charles, I'm afraid you missed the boat, too."
The president and his supporters were leaving the impression that teachers and administrators were going blithely about their business, with no concern whatsoever about dropouts or students who were not getting the most out of their education.
I can't remember running into any educators who felt that way, either during my six-plus years as a teacher or in the 22 years in which I covered area schools as a reporter.
So how do we show that we are leaving no child behind? Standardized tests, of course. And the first thing most states have done is to water down their standards so they can meet the requirements of the new law. We have no idea whether education is improving or not.
But there is a bigger problem facing education, a much bigger problem.
For all of the effort that teachers, administrators, and support personnel put in to provide children with the best education possible, there are some things that we have no control over.
-We have no control over students' home lives, more and more of which include broken homes, drug use, alcoholism, and poverty.
-We have many students coming from homes which have few, if any, books, newspapers, or magazines to encourage reading.
-We are in the middle of a turn toward pro-business domestic policies that seem designed to sharply increase the wealth of a few, while cutting the salaries and the benefits, even the jobs, of many.
-We are seeing an undercutting of the public education system by politicians who see private schools as a cureall for everything that ails education in America. If the private schools end up having to abide by the same rules that public schools go by, they will end up having to deal with the same problems the public schools are facing.
As long as education continues to be a cheap political issue for every demagogue on both sides of the aisle, you will continue to have serious problems and you will continue to have people who decide to leave the profession.
"No Child Left Behind" has always been the goal of American educators, long before President Bush's people coined the name. It will always remain our goal.
Clarification on Globe comment: I did not post it
I was a bit surprised as I was glancing at The Joplin Globe's website to see the latest comments concerning Sen. Gary Nodler, his free movie tickets, and his theater meltdown (all of which can be read about in previous postings), to see one of the commenters listed as "Turner Report" and one of the comments from this blog reprinted.
I have no problem with someone using my comments as long as credit is given, but the way it was used in the Globe made it appear that I sent in the comment. I have never posted a comment on the Globe's website.
***
The free ticket story has already drawn 74 comments from Globe readers.
I have no problem with someone using my comments as long as credit is given, but the way it was used in the Globe made it appear that I sent in the comment. I have never posted a comment on the Globe's website.
***
The free ticket story has already drawn 74 comments from Globe readers.
KIX 102.5 continues to top ratings
Zimmer Radio's KIX 102.5 continued its reign as the number one station in Joplin according to the just-released Arbitron ratings for Spring 2005, but the 10-point lead the station had over its nearest competitor has been cut down to size.
The latest survey shows KIX with a 12.8 rating, down from 18.4 in Fall 2004. Just as it did in the Fall 2004 survey, Zimmer had three of the top four stations, with KSYN, 92.5, holding down the number two position, and KXDG "Big Dog" 97.9 ranked fourth, the same as the three stations were ranked in the fall.
The big difference was in the number three slot. In the fall, the biggest success story was KQYX 1560 AM, which ranked third with its news talk format. KQYX nearly fell off the map this time, losing two-thirds of its audience, dropping from a 6.7 rating to 2.3.
The new number three was KKOW-AM 96.9, which jumped to that spot from ninth.
The rest of the rankings:
5. KMOQ 5.8, FFD Holdings
6. KBTN-FM 5.2, FFD Holdings
6. KJML-FM 5.2 FFD Holdings
8. KCAR-FM 3.5, FFD Holdings
8. KJMK-FM, 3.5 Zimmer
8. KMXL-FM 3.5 Ron Peterson
11. KDMO-AM 2.9 Ron Peterson
12. KIGL-FM 2.3 Clear Channel
12. KQYX-AM 2.3 FFD Holdings
12. KWXD-FM 2.3 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
15. KHST-FM 1.2 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
16. KKOW-AM 0.6 American Media Investments
Success stories in this cycle's ratings included:
-KMOQ-FM, 107.1 leapfrogged from 11th to 5th, and from 2.2 to 5.8 with its contemporary hits and pop format.
-KDMO-AM with its adult standards format improved its rating from 1.7 to 2.9
-KIGL-FM improved from 0.6 to 2.3 with a classic rock format
On the other end of the spectrum, the biggest drop was recorded by the top station, KIX 102.5, and it appears most of the listeners who left defected to KKOW-FM.
The latest survey shows KIX with a 12.8 rating, down from 18.4 in Fall 2004. Just as it did in the Fall 2004 survey, Zimmer had three of the top four stations, with KSYN, 92.5, holding down the number two position, and KXDG "Big Dog" 97.9 ranked fourth, the same as the three stations were ranked in the fall.
The big difference was in the number three slot. In the fall, the biggest success story was KQYX 1560 AM, which ranked third with its news talk format. KQYX nearly fell off the map this time, losing two-thirds of its audience, dropping from a 6.7 rating to 2.3.
The new number three was KKOW-AM 96.9, which jumped to that spot from ninth.
The rest of the rankings:
5. KMOQ 5.8, FFD Holdings
6. KBTN-FM 5.2, FFD Holdings
6. KJML-FM 5.2 FFD Holdings
8. KCAR-FM 3.5, FFD Holdings
8. KJMK-FM, 3.5 Zimmer
8. KMXL-FM 3.5 Ron Peterson
11. KDMO-AM 2.9 Ron Peterson
12. KIGL-FM 2.3 Clear Channel
12. KQYX-AM 2.3 FFD Holdings
12. KWXD-FM 2.3 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
15. KHST-FM 1.2 Southeast Kansas Broadcasting Co.
16. KKOW-AM 0.6 American Media Investments
Success stories in this cycle's ratings included:
-KMOQ-FM, 107.1 leapfrogged from 11th to 5th, and from 2.2 to 5.8 with its contemporary hits and pop format.
-KDMO-AM with its adult standards format improved its rating from 1.7 to 2.9
-KIGL-FM improved from 0.6 to 2.3 with a classic rock format
On the other end of the spectrum, the biggest drop was recorded by the top station, KIX 102.5, and it appears most of the listeners who left defected to KKOW-FM.
Zimmer buys sixth radio station in Joplin
After years of having four FM stations and no AM stations, Zimmer Radio has suddenly jumped wholeheartedly into AM radio.
Last week, it was announced that Zimmer had purchased 1230 AM, KWAS, from Larry Rice for $300,000. According to Radio and Records, Zimmer now owns 1310 KOCR, formerly KFSB, a 5,000 watt station, from Ozark Christian College for $350,100.
Speculation is that one station will be a sports talk station while the other will opt for a news talk format.
Zimmer already owns three of the four most popular stations in Joplin, FM stations KIX 102.5, KSYN 92.5 and Big Dog 97.9. It owns 17 stations overall.
Last week, it was announced that Zimmer had purchased 1230 AM, KWAS, from Larry Rice for $300,000. According to Radio and Records, Zimmer now owns 1310 KOCR, formerly KFSB, a 5,000 watt station, from Ozark Christian College for $350,100.
Speculation is that one station will be a sports talk station while the other will opt for a news talk format.
Zimmer already owns three of the four most popular stations in Joplin, FM stations KIX 102.5, KSYN 92.5 and Big Dog 97.9. It owns 17 stations overall.
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