Download pdf - 1.13.12 semo times

SEMOTIMESWWW.SEMOTIMES.COM

The Most Important News of your Week 01.13.12Storyteller visits libraryMcDonalds South’s new look

Page 14Page 6

Will Downtown Poplar Bluff:

Keep the Dream Alive ?

Page 2

www.semotimes.com

Current Events

www.semotimes.com

Page 3

Current Events

The Week in Review

the social network

how to join our social network:

1. Become a friend of SEMO Times on Facebook2. Reply to our questions for a chance to be

featured with your profile pic in the newspaper

from our friends at:

About USEstablished in 2008, the SEMO Times

reports the most important news of your week. In addition to our online archives, plus our popular iPhone and Droid apps, the free publication is available in print at over 60 distribution locations throughout Butler County.

With our primary coverage area center-ing in Poplar Bluff, our mission is to be the mouthpiece for our community. Our opinion section regularly features dozens of contributing columnists—voluntary writers that have included leaders of the business community and regional legisla-tors.

Made in Poplar Bluff, we are Butler County’s only 100 percent locally owned alternative newsweekly. We cover human interest stories, arts, entertainment, educa-tion and business, but our primary focus is bigger picture news. We report ‘The Why’ rather than ‘The What.’

Get with the Times!

Semotimes

1.13.12Volume 4 Issue 2

2725 N. Westwood BlvdSuite 17

Poplar Bluff, MO573-785-2200

Staff

PublisherScott R. Faughn

[email protected]

Managing EditorTim Krakowiak

[email protected]

ReporterLiz Ellis

[email protected]

Ad DesignerNicole Malinowski

[email protected] 1. Will you be watching ‘American Idol’ next week?

2. Who do you like for the Republican presidential primary?

1. Definitely! I love American Idol! At least until they get to the winners...

‎2. No one. Not sure I like any of the candidates at all.

2. Ron Paul... he’s the only one that makes sense to me!!

2. RON PAUL! Everything this man says makes sense! He says it like it is!!!

P.J. Sisco

Kerry Stites

RobBurson

1. Possibly, but I make no promises.

1. Nope! I’ll be rehearsing for Romeo and Juliet.

It was a good week for Three Rivers College for having some young fellows,

in their late 20s and early 30s, file for the board of trustees. Even if they don’t win, we here at thumbs are glad to see the younger generation attempt to create change, rather than simply talk about it. Maybe some day we’ll see the same in the city and county.

It was a good week for Rodgers Theatre, thanks to Myatt’s Drapery Service

for discounting new back curtains for the legendary stage in a major way. Congrats to Kyle Million.

It was a good week for Chris and Subrina Berger for winning Dancing with the

PB Stars. You can’t lose when your rolling with the Black Keys.

It was a good week for the castle house on Vine Street, which barely managed to

fend off the bulldozers, thanks to a socially conscious couple that pur-chased the Williams-Gierth House as a restoration project.

It was a bad week for tragedies.

Our heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones, far too young. So sorry...

It was a bad week for

Butler Countians. For the first time in their lifetimes, they are not protected by a chief deputy. Sheriff Mark Dobbs has decided to revere well respected deputy Jim Bumpus in what appears to be a politically motivated power grab, demoting Bumpus to bailiff, along with other major department shuffling that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

NewsPage 4

www.semotimes.com News

Downtown Poplar Bluff director resignsBoard vows to carry out revitalization as planned

Tim Krakowiak Managing Editor

T he future of the downtown revi-talization effort is presently up in the air, despite the fact that

the strategic plan of the DREAM ini-tiative is just about ready for the city to adopt.

Tracy Frish, Downtown Poplar Bluff Inc. executive director for the last two years, has turned in her resignation ef-fective Feb. 1, a month after Poplar Bluff City Council approved covering her salary for another two years or until the position becomes self-sufficient.

The DPB board plans to fill the post as seamlessly as possible. “It’s a huge

job,” said chairwoman Emily Wolpers, “but we’re all committed to keep mov-ing ahead.”

Downtown leaders commended Fr-ish for helping to establish the bylaws, logo and website for the nonprofit or-ganization, realizing past efforts in the historic district, starting an annual fun-draiser and creating a DPB database.

“Hopefully, the next two years will be even more productive than the first two years and we will see marked im-provements in funding opportunities for DPB,” City Manager Doug Bagby said. “Tracy Frish has developed a base that the new director will be able to rely and expand on to ideally make this or-ganization an example of what can be

accomplished when everyone is pulling in the same direc-tion.”

One of 39 com-munities designated up until 2010, Pop-lar Bluff entered the Downtown Revital-ization and Econom-ic Assistance for Missouri program three years ago, which provides ac-cess to technical and financial assistance from several state agencies to attract new private invest-ments and jobs in the downtown area.

As part of the state’s pledge under former Gov. Matt Blunt, PGAC Plan-ners were hired in 2008 to analyze the housing and retail market downtown and come up with

a streetscape and buildings plan for downtown officials to work toward achieving. The resulting studies, which can be viewed at www.modream.org, are currently under review by the DPB board and a public hearing will be post-ed soon so the master plan can go be-fore city council for approval, accord-ing to Mike Hemmer, PGAV Planners associate director based in St. Louis.

“Revenue sources are the key to survival of DPB, and it is at least my opinion that property owners are going to have to understand that or simply watch property values in our down-town area continue to decline,” said Bagby, adding that the 11-person over-seeing board deserves praise for their commitment thus far. “They are truly interested in the history of our down-town area and committed to seeing it survive in an era that isn’t particular-ly kind to downtowns in cities of our size.”

A St. Louis native who moved to Poplar Bluff with her family as a young girl, Frish took the DPB reins at the start of 2010, after the city secured $100,000 through the community de-velopment block grant program under the Missouri Department of Economic Development to fund the leadership position. As part of the agreement, the city committed to match the salary and benefits up until 2014.

“I do think it’s important to have someone take the lead,” said Beverly Roach, who has operated McNeely Shoe Service on Vine Street with her husband Bennie since 1987. She sug-gested the downtown community be-gin meeting monthly during non-busi-ness hours.

ProgressOne of the first projects Frish took

on was rehabilitating the 1910 Poplar Bluff Train Depot with $600,000 pre-viously secured by Butler County offi-cials through the Missouri Department of Transportation, the CDBG program and Amtrak.

“For 30 years, small groups with good intentions but no money have been try-ing to work on improving downtown, making progress, but everyone has a day job,” Frish said. “There are many unsung heroes in the community who offered little pieces of expertise—la-bors of love really—and the (executive director) job is to somehow bring it all together.”

Frish also landed a $1,500 grant for the historically endangered depot steps from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to cover half the cost of an engineering study for a restoration plan. The Poplar Bluff Historic Depot Restoration Corporation has agreed to The logo for Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc.

includes a train, the Black Rivers and pop-lar trees.

Submitted PhotoTracy Frish, executive direc-tor of Downtown Poplar Bluff, turned in her resigna-tion after two years.

Continued on p 13

News Page 5


Local press releases emailed to Managing Editor Tim Krakowiak at [email protected] also appear at www.semotimes.com, and are shared on the SEMO Times’ Facebook and Twitter pages.

Fund set up for family of Poplar Bluff teens lost in house fire

On Jan. 8, an early morning house fire took the life of two teenage boys.Dylan Cox, 12 and 16-year-old Kyle

Dicken of Poplar Bluff died in the house fire. The home was a total loss.A cash donation account has been set up

at Southern Bank in the name of Becky Cox. Southern Bank has three locations: 531 Vine Street, 1330 N. Westwood Blvd., and the intersection of PP Highway and Township Line Road.There will also be two fundraising events

for the surviving family. On Jan. 28, a four-person scramble golf tournament will take place at Ozark Ridge. Cost is $200 per team.On Jan. 29, Chas’ in Poplar Bluff will

have pool and dart tournaments, chili, live music and an auction. The event starts at 10 a.m. Chas’ is located at 2350 Cheshire Blvd.For further information, contact Jim

Hager at 573-429-4484 or Rachael Ken-nedy at 573-300-3842.

Schultz and Summers Engineering makes prestigious ‘hot firm’ list

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Every year since 2000, ZweigWhite has recognized the most successful architecture, engineer-ing and environmental consulting firms with The Zweig Letter hot firm list. Over the years, the “hot firm” designation has become synonymous with success in the industry.Last year marks the first time Schultz and

Summers Engineering has been named to The Zweig Letter hot firm list. In 2011, SSE ranked No. 54 among these top firms. ”We are extremely proud to have made this prestigious list during these economi-cally challenging times. I am very thank-ful to both our customers who rely on our services and the SSE employees who work so hard to meet their needs,” SSE owner Stan Schultz said.

The 2011 hot firm list recognizes firms that exhibit the fastest growth in the last three fiscal years. SSE was ranked on their average percentage revenue growth and absolute dollar revenue growth from 2007- 2010. Entrants were limited to firms based in the United States or Canada that derive the majority of their revenues from the practice of architecture, engineering, planning, environmental consulting or al-lied disciplines. Design/build firms that provide both design and construction ser-vices were also eligible.For more information about the hot firm

list, go to www.zweigwhite.com/g-46-the-zweig-letter-hot-firm-list.aspx.

Butler County reaches over 100 Red Cross volunteers in 2011

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – In 2011, the American Red Cross in Butler County reached a milestone of over 100 volun-teers. The outpouring of support from the community after the spring flooding in April caused a surge in volunteers. In 2010, there were 18 volunteers in Butler County and in 2011, 87 new volunteers joined the Red Cross.“The flooding made people realize the

need,” said Gail Tinsley, Red Cross vol-unteer. “The community really came to-gether.”The spring flooding caused extensive

damage across Southeast Missouri. The Red Cross responded and set up a shelter in Poplar Bluff. Over 250 people stayed in the Black River Coliseum and the Red Cross served over 1,700 meals.In the Red Cross, volunteers make up ap-

proximately 96 percent of the workforce so recruiting new volunteers is essential. The Red Cross is constantly recruiting volunteers by advertising, doing presenta-tions in the community and with help from community partners. For more information about volunteering

with the Red Cross, contact Ann Knopf at 573-335-9471, ext. 304 or email [email protected].

BusinessPage 6

www.semotimes.com Business

McDonalds South remodeledOwner says Doniphan and McDonalds North are next Liz Ellis Reporter

T he southern branch of McDon-alds in Poplar Bluff reopened two weeks ago after a full re-

model of the inside and outside of the building. The remodeling, which began in late October, lasted for nine weeks before the new look was unveiled.

The trademark yellow and red of the McDonalds has been, instead, replaced with browns and tans. The brightly colored plastic furniture now has a wooden look to it, and the restaurant has more of a relaxed, small-town at-mosphere. While there are still a few small things to finish, the renovation is nearly complete, and the look is com-pletely different.

“It’s very creative, contemporary and updated,” Jeane Lawson of Poplar Bluff said. “But there’s nothing flashy, the seating is nice and it has a nice lay-out.”

“This is more of a local hometown flavor,” owner of the restaurant Steve Sells said. “It was time for me to up-date our lobby, and McDonalds Corp. wanted the building to have a new, modern look, so we partnered on this

project to do both at once.” Sells said that McDon-alds Corp. paid for 45 percent of the construction cost and helped give him op-tions for what he wanted the store to look like.

The new layout seats 80 people—eight less than the previous layout. However, the bathrooms and counter were both enlarged to make the restau-rant more open and comfortable. The dining area features several sections with comfortable seating and a crisp, clean atmosphere.

“I like it,” McDonalds Supervisor Kathy Snow said. “It’s like it makes it a fresher atmosphere and it changes things up. It brings in new customers that we aren’t used to seeing. I think it makes everyone happier and more cheerful in general.”

The McDonalds on Hwy 53 was built in 1999, so this renovation will be its first makeover. The McDonalds in Doniphan is scheduled for a remodel in February, and the McDonalds on the

north end of Poplar Bluff may get one in a year or two.

To celebrate the new renovation, McDonalds South will have a different deal on menu items every day during the month of January, as well as nu-merous giveaways. There will also be a children’s magic show with Ronald McDonald at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Jan. 21.

For more information on menu deals, check the McDonalds for a list-ing of their events and activities throughout the month.

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 573-785-2200.

Photos by Liz Ellis

The renovation of the McDonalds on Hwy 53 have been under way since Oct. 27, and brings a contemporary, coffee-shop feel.

Page 7

www.semotimes.com

NewsPage 8

www.semotimes.comNews

A t 8 a.m. Monday, R o c k y Kingree, prosecut-ing at-t o r n e y of Carter C o u n t y, was the first per-son to file for Sub-D i s t r i c t 2 on the T h r e e R i v e r s

College Board, which includes Carter County and parts of Butler and Ripley counties.

He will vie against incumbent Randy Grassham during the April 3 election.

Kingree, who is a product of Three Rivers, has a great passion for the com-munity college and believes he can bring a positive impact to its mission.

“I deeply feel that the economic fu-ture of our area is inseparably tied to the continued success of Three Rivers College,” Kingree stated.

The primary issue for Kingree’s cam-paign is Three Rivers’ role in economic development within its taxing district.

“It truly pains me to see how many friends I grew up with who want to

move home and raise their family, but cannot because there aren’t jobs available that will support their fam-ily,” he said. “Furthermore, I see too many people in my job as prosecut-ing attorney who have fallen through the cracks, and one of the biggest rea-sons is the fact that they haven’t found enough opportunities to succeed.”

Another top shelf issue for the Kingree campaign is the lack of an extension center in Carter County. “I realize these are lean times for higher education, but I would like to use my term on the board to work toward see-ing a center established in Carter Coun-ty,” Kingree explained. “Some people don’t think about it, but as gas and tu-

Press Release: Carter County prosecutor files for Three Rivers Board

Carter County prosecutor Rocky Kingree filed for the Three Rivers College Board of Trustees early this week.

News Page 9


Down

1. As ___ resort2. Nose bone3. Talabani, e.g.4. Thick sweet liquid5. ___ well...6. Skin7. Always8. Plunger9. Heir10. Cry of discovery11. Vive ___!12. Muse of lyric poetry13. Join securely18. Shoebox letters21. Puzzled

25. Heroin, slangily26. Man-mouse connector27. An Irish girl28. Violinist Mischa29. Elton’s john30. PC program31. Friend of Fidel32. Land granted for military service34. Chest protector35. Baton Rouge sch.36. PIN requester38. Barbershop request39. Bruce ___ was a famous kung-fu movie star

44. Vacuum tube having three elements45. Chick of jazz46. Backs of feet47. Model48. Joke49. Met highlights50. Small beginning51. Author Calvino52. Parachute material55. Big bash56. Peter Fonda title role57. A pitcher may take one59. USN rank

Crossword of the Week

Solution on pg 16

Across

1. Alamo rival5. Big brute8. Ice ax14. Australasian parrot15. Monetary unit of Bulgaria16. Be innate17. Variety of sour cherry19. System of aircraft navigation20. Sequester

22. Siouan speaker23. Rubbish24. The act of twisting26. Like sea life29. Resinous deposit32. Cave-dwelling dwarf33. Small hand drum37. Eye doctor40. Musical drama41. Coherent light beam42. Derelict43. Ardent45. Loose sleeveless

upper robe48. Street urchin53. Brit. lexicon54. Peculiarity58. Sound again, again60. Beyond reasoning61. Cobra, e.g.62. Bandleader Brown63. He sang about Alice64. Slanted65. DDE opponent66. Before long

The Book ShopPresented by

320 N. Main Street, Poplar Bluff 573-714-5642

Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com Used with permission www.bestcrosswords.com

ition prices continue to rise, having a center in Carter County could be the difference in someone being able to attend college or not. These are real issues area families sit around their kitchen table and discuss, and these are the people whose issues I want to fight for as a member of the board of trustees.”

Kingree is prepared to get involved immediately and hit the ground run-ning. “There are some great things happening at Three Rivers, and I want to be a part of its continuing success,” he continued. “It’s not that long ago I was a student at Three Rivers, and

so many things have changed since. I am excited about working with the students and the faculty to see the college improve. I am look forward to getting involved as one voice on a six-person team.”

In 2010, Kingree was elected as Carter County prosecuting attorney. Kingree attended Three Rivers prior to graduating from University of Ar-kansas Law School. He can be con-tacted at 573-323-8888, reached by email at [email protected], or find him on Facebook.

Page 10

www.semotimes.com

Page 11

www.semotimes.com

Page 12

www.semotimes.com

News Page 13


fundraise to complete the project.The year Frish returned to Poplar Bluff

was the centennial of the train depot, and Frish spearheaded the Iron Horse Festival downtown, intended to become the chief annual fundraiser to sustain a budget for DPB.

As an aside, Frish collaborated with the Wheatley Historic Preservation Asso-ciation to obtain a $50,000 grant from the

Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Founda-tion Preservation Fund to restore the exterior of the old school build-ing on Garfield Street.

Smaller projects hap-pened on Frish’ watch such as the Adopt-a-Pot program through which downtown entities are encouraged to purchase pots, benches and trash bins to beautify the area.

Recently Frish and her board have made progress toward getting the codes changed in the downtown district so buildings can be util-zed for mixed use, with both retail and apart-ment space. Upon final approval from the Pop-lar Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission, city council is expected to approve the new or-

dinance.“Any improvements we make, we are

bettering the community as a whole, even the region,” Frish said.

Wolpers, also the chairwoman of the Poplar Bluff Historical Preservation Com-mission, explained that Missouri is a mod-el state for offering state and federal tax credits to businesses restoring buildings to the original façade, such as when Hays Music relocated to 401 Vine St., a building that dates back to the late 19th Century.

In 2009, MACO Development Compa-ny received tax credits for constructing the $9 million senior housing unit, the Vine Street Apartments, in three historic build-ings between Fifth and Morgan streets.

“We’re another group hoping Missouri doesn’t cut out tax credits because that’s the impetus of going in and restoring things,” Wolpers stated.

Serving on DPB’s promotion and events committee, Rose Anne Huck said she has lived in two Missouri communities with fewer assets than Poplar Bluff, Hanni-bal and Marshall, which have executed DREAM programs lucratively.

“I left Poplar Bluff for college in 1971 when downtown was still doing fine, and over the years I came back to visit fam-ily and watched it slide for one reason or another, because of barriers that needed to be fixed,” said Huck, who returned home in recent years to open a Poole Advertising branch. “It’s on my bucket list to not let it slide further, because if you don’t have a healthy heart, you’re not going to be in a good position for the future, and down-town is the heart of Poplar Bluff.”

Tim Krakowiak can be contacted by email-ing tim@semotimes

Submitted PhotosTop: Phil Frisk sells organic peppers dur-ing the second annual Iron Horse Festival in downtown Poplar Bluff.

Right: City horticul-turist Angela Cochran supervises youth volunteers during a downtown clean-up project.

Director, from p 4

Arts & Events Page 14

www.semotimes.comArts & Events

Storyteller spins tales for all generations at library Liz Ellis Reporter

“Books are not made up of words—they are made up of stories,” Profes-

sional Storyteller Steve Otto said dur-ing a presentation at the Poplar Bluff Public Library.

The Missouri Humanities Council sponsored Otto’s visit Sunday as a part of the traveling Smithsonian exhibit “The Way We Worked,” presently at Wheatley School.

“When the Smithsonian exhibit vis-its, they also provide a number of ele-ments, and one of the elements is a sto-ryteller,” explained Ashley Robertson, youth coordinator and children’s librar-ian. “[And] when everyone was going through the exhibit and setting things up… we just seemed like the perfect place for the storyteller to present. So that’s how he ended up here, and we’re so glad he did.”

For the event, Otto conducted two sessions: one to teach adults how to read and tell stories to children, and an actual storytelling event for all ages. The MHC provided free children’s books for the attendees of both events.

“[Storytelling] is a wonderful way to teach, communicate and talk about the

past,” Otto told the teachers and par-ents during the 10 a.m. session. Attend-ees of the morning session read five award-winning children’s books out loud as Otto shared some techniques about how to keep children engaged. Those books were then sent home with each participant to read aloud to their children or students.

“The first one we wanted to be able to provide information to local librar-ians and local parents, to say… this is what you need to do storytelling and here are some books,” Robertson said.

The second session, in contrast, was pure storytelling and had a much larger attendance—nearly 50 people from ages 5 to senior citizens. Otto started

off with a thrilling retelling of “The Golden Arm” by Mark Twain. He then told a couple of Ozark stories, followed by an engaging and powerful telling of the popular Christmas story, “The Po-lar Express,” which was made into a animated movie in 2004.

“I’m glad that this program reached all generations,” Robertson said. “You had your first grader here next to your retirees, and they were all enjoying the same story. And that just speaks volumes… Even the adolescent boys, watching their faces—they were in it. They were hanging on his every word, and I think that’s the gift and the joy we were able to bring to our community.”

Otto has been a professional, full-time storyteller for 17 years, and his expressions and his changes in voice are clear evidence of his skill and pas-sion for every story that he tells. He has, in his repertoire, over 500 stories for all occasions and all ages. And, like all good storytellers, he never really tells the same story twice.

“I don’t memorize. I don’t memorize at all, and I never tell the same story the same way twice,” Otto said. “I know the bare basics of the story and I know what I want to tell, but I don’t tell it the same way because I tell it dif-ferent based on the audience I have.” The most important part of his job, he

Photo by Liz EllisSteve Otto leans toward an audience member during the telling of a ghost story, using facial expressions, voice inflection and gestures for effect.

Page 15

www.semotimes.com

Arts & Events

Arts & Events

Community Calendar

To submit an event, go to www.semotimes.com and click on the +bluffee tab

SemoTimes

Upcoming community events from Jan. 14 - Feb. 2

Chinese New Year Celebration

Jan. 281 - 3 p.m.

Public LibraryPoplar Bluff

Puss in BootsJan. 21

3 p.m. and 7 p.m.Tinnin Fine Arts

CenterPoplar Bluff

Chimes of FreedomJan. 148 p.m.

The Wine RackPoplar Bluff

Alex Riffle and the Stiff RIffs

Jan. 217 p.m.

Rodgers TheatrePoplar Bluff

revealed, is knowing the audience and catering to them.

“If you don’t know your audience and try and tell stories, you’re going to be lost, because you aren’t going to have your audience with you,” Otto said. “Sometimes I’ll change the story around and put local landmarks in the story and sometimes I’ll change names in the story, particularly with kids—I’ll add the kids’ names into the story. They really start listening for that type of thing. That’s one of the tricks of the trade that you learn.”

While his background in theater helped him develop his unique story-telling style, Otto said that the primary ways he learned to tell good stories was by taking classes on it and by tell-ing stories whenever he could.

“[When I started,] I told every chance I got. If somebody wanted a story, I would make one up or I would get one out of a book and I would tell as much as I could. I never got paid a nickel for

it,” Otto said.Now, Otto travels around the country

telling stories and conducting work-shops for teachers, parents and even churches on how to incorporate stories into their lessons to help students who learn differently, and to help them gain an appreciation for the arts. However, while he has worked with the MHC to help educate, the thing he likes best is telling stories.

“My favorite part is watching [the audience.] I literally can see the story coming back through their eyes. And when I do that, I know that I have suc-ceeded. I know that I have transferred that story from inside me through their eyes inside them, and they are giving it back,” Otto said with a smile. “Just sharing stories is the best thing I ever did, and it is fun.”

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 573-785-2200.

The Wrong OmarJan. 218 p.m.


Barnett & Gurley Feb. 28 p.m.


Page 16

www.semotimes.com

Crossword Solution

from pg 9

The Book Shop320 N Main Poplar Bluff

573-714-5642 Presents

Opinion & Editorial Page 17

www.semotimes.com Opinion & Editorial

The second hand on my watch broke. I’m not sure how or when it happened, maybe out in the vine-yard some time, but it doesn’t work anymore. It just shakes around the face of my watch. Now normally that really wouldn’t be a huge deal to me. Some things you really don’t miss until you need them, and since my 100-yard dash days are over, I suppose I hadn’t needed the sec-ond hand in quite a while, until this week.

You see word has gotten out that a first-tier candidate is running against incumbent Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs. A surprising turn of events to some, but when you stop and think about it, it makes some sense. No matter your opinion on each man or situation—from Fred Armes, to Sam Gilm-ore, to Bill Heaton, to Dobbs—the sheriff’s office nearly has been a constant source of controversy, and maybe it will take someone who is fundamentally honest and well in-tentioned to bring some stability to the post.

The real question probably isn’t whether Dobbs will win or lose, it’s how far will the Daily Ameri-can Republic will go to save him. If you’ll recall, it wasn’t that long ago (my watch was fully functional at the time) that Dobbs was elected in a dust storm of publicity during the final weeks of the Heaton ad-ministration. The DAR hammered the incumbent mercilessly in the

weeks leading up to the primary. While Heaton was cleared of crim-inal wrongdoing in the end, the smear campaign was just too much for him to overcome. In fact, when Dobbs burst into the limelight in a DAR story, somehow a photog-rapher just happened to be outside the prosecutor’s office when Dobbs triumphantly presented his report on Heaton. Classic.

It’s obvious Dobbs was paying attention to his predecessor’s final weeks in office, and he wasn’t go-ing to let the same fate befall him. Dobbs made sure that there was no daylight between the DAR’s pub-lisher Don Schrieber and himself. All of his accomplishments were touted as groundbreaking, and let’s just say there were no investiga-tive journalism awards won for the reporting on the department. That isn’t to say Dobbs didn’t earn the positive coverage. He immediately calls when anything of note hap-pens, has sat through countless painstakingly boring lunches at Colton’s with Schrieber, and duti-fully complies with his protector’s wishes on command.

What’s more fascinating is how in turn Schrieber has protected Dobbs. The sheriff sexually ha-rasses a female deputy, costing the county thousands…. and receives just a miniscule mention in the DAR. Not even what the settle-ment was about, just that one was reached. The sheriff violates a lo-

cal businessman’s civil rights again costing taxpayers thousands…. and just a below the fold blurb. As you know, that’s just a couple of the highlights.

Fast-forward to the present: conventional wisdom says there will be a new sheriff in town. The sideshow we are all waiting for, after all Dobbs has done to serve his master, is whether Schrieber continues to write embarrassingly glowing stories about him as he did on Christmas. Will he make every arrest the biggest of all time as he has been known to do when he has supported previous candidates for sheriff? Or would he… could he possibly… throw his most devoted sycophant under the bus and back the clear winner to try to save face? And if he did, what message would that send to the three or four other hangers on who count on his news-paper’s PR for peace of mind?

I was at the gas station when I was asked how long it would be until Schrieber throws Dobbs under the bus now that he is a sure loser. I thought for a moment: hours… no, no too long, minutes… nah, still a bit too long. It was then I realized the second hand on my watch was broken.

Scott R. Faughn is the publisher of the SEMO Times, a Capricorn, former mayor of Poplar Bluff and commissioner of WWCW Wrestling, and a grape farmer. You can reach him on Twitter @ScottFaughn.

Tic Toc

In the Arenawith Scott. R. Faughn

I have been thinking a lot lately about aprons. I’ve always loved aprons. My Grandmother Mitchener had a beautiful collection of aprons, most of them pretty floral patterns. I still dis-tinctly see her arriving home after church, go-ing directly to the kitchen, and slipping on one of her aprons over her church clothes. Within 10 minutes you could smell the chicken frying. And she fried chicken better than Colonel Sand-ers himself.

So I’ve been thinking about her pretty aprons, about her, and what the apron symbolizes to me.

Grandma was a quiet woman. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember ever hearing her raise her voice. I certainly never remember seeing her angry. One of the most famous stories about her is that Grandpa, in every election, told her for which candidates she should vote. When questioned about it by one of Dad’s sisters who was indignant that men should always be telling women what to do, Grandma replied: “Once I’m in that voting booth, I vote for whoever I want to.” So… Grandpa could direct and bluster all he wanted to, but Grandma was still going to quietly do what she wanted to do.

This takes me back to the apron, and what it symbolizes to me.

The apron symbolizes women, who have al-ways done what needed to be done, no matter how unpleasant the task. But… they put a pretty apron on, and suddenly the drudgery of cook-ing, washing dishes, sweeping the floor, wash-ing clothes and the thousands of other things they did to “take care of business” was no lon-ger quite as unpleasant. The apron was a smile, as well as a protector of clothing, which as all things, were in short supply in those days.

Considering all of this—in honor of all the grandmothers, mothers, aunts and wonderful women in our lives who have paved the way

May the aprons be liberated!

Opinion & EditorialPage 18

www.semotimes.com Opinion & Editorial

When I write these columns for SEMO Times, I really, really want you to see a friendly, happy, positive, upbeat real estate agent (like most in Poplar Bluff) who is out there to serve you. But... but, today, I have to whine a little. So bear with me. Or move on to see what advice Joy has for the relationship challenged today (sorry, Joy, had to go there).

Over and over, I get to hear "how much money you real estate agents make when you sell a house." And I remember being on the outside, looking in, and thinking the same thing. Seven percent? Are you seri-ous? That means that if you sell a $120,000 home, you get $8,400! And all you do is show a few people a house and write up an offer. Do that once a month and you're mak-ing some serious bank. Ahhhh... if it were only true!

OK, I'm not really going to whine. I just want you to see what all is in-volved and what you get for your money. First of all, that 7 percent gets split up a few times. Part goes to the listing agent, part to the sell-ing agent, part to the listing office and part to the selling office. How much actually ends up in the hands of the agent varies with companies and agents.

And there is a lot more involved in the process than most realize. Agents

spend money on education (pre-li-cense and continuing ed), we pay our monthly and annual dues, we spend money on advertising and we buy lots of gas. And it's pure commission. So if you spend a week or two with a buyer who decides not to move, you make nothing. If you list a house that just doesn't sell (for whatever rea-son), you write that one off and hope to cover it with the next one.

But the three easiest parts of a real estate transaction are listing a home, showing a home and writing a con-tract. That's the fun stuff. Once that's done, the work starts. Scheduling inspections and appraisals, work-ing with banks, resolving issues from the inspections and apprais-als, title searches and the issues that arise from them, and the list goes on and on. That all happens behind the scenes. Eventually, we all sit down at a big table and sign a stack of documents. If we did our job, it goes smoothly for you and you never re-ally see much of the stuff that we've been pulling our hair out over.

And on that day, we leave that big table with a commission check in our hand and usually feel like we've earned every penny of it. Not whin-ing. Just want you to realize the val-ue of a good agent and what they can do for you!

Can I have some cheese with my whine?

for us—I have decided to liberate the apron.

Just as Madonna liberated bras-sieres in the ‘80s, I propose to lib-erate the apron. They are beautiful! Why should they be relegated to for-gotten kitchen drawers?

So… I have declared the Friday before Mother’s Day this year to be Apron Liberation Day, a celebration of the Apron Liberation Movement which I have now founded. My in-tention is that every Friday before Mother’s Day, we all… women, men and children, don aprons in remem-

brance of the women who made us who we are!

I can see it now… Fifth Avenue in New York… LA… Chicago… Paris… London… all over the world, the aprons will be liberated and proudly worn! And to think the epicenter of this wonderful movement will be right here in Poplar Bluff, Mo.!

In honor of our first Apron Lib-eration Day, which will fall on Friday, May 11, I am hoping you will bring your aprons to our store to show them off. I will present to the Best Apron wearer a tiara and golden rolling pin (mostly because I love tiaras, and a golden rolling pin just seems appropriate for a scepter).

So… spread the word on Face-book. Spread the word on Twit-

ter. May the Apron Liberation begin! And I encourage every town and city around the world to have their own coronation event!

I can smell Grandma’s honeysuckle perfume. So she must surely approve.

Tammy Hilderbrand is the owner of Hilderbrand Diamond Company in Poplar Bluff, which can be found online at www.hilderbranddiamond-company.com. You can reach her by emailing [email protected].

May the aprons be liberated!

Continued from pg 17

Advice Page 19

www.semotimes.com Advice

Dear Joy,My boyfriend moved to another state for college,

and we’ve been having trouble recently with him being jealous of my friends (male and female), and me having trouble connecting to his changed lifestyle. I am beginning to think this distance isn’t going to work. Do long distance relationships ever work?

- Hopeful,Poplar Bluff

Hopeful,I have found that most long distance relationships

usually do not work out. When someone moves away, they meet a new set of friends, and become involved in other activities that keep them busy. Also, the one left at home finds new things to do to fill up the time they used to spend with their partner that has left.It usually is a gradual thing: one of you gets too

busy to call or text or come home for a visit because of the new friends, activities, etc. It’s not that one or the other is a scumbag; when you’re young, things just happen.As far as one being jealous, what a waste of time. If

you are the exception, and you both really want this to work, be understanding, not demanding. Real love is worth waiting for. It is up to you both to work at it.

Good luck,-Joy

A weekly advice column from a local romance expert, Ask Joy is our own version of the nationally syndicated Ask Abby. To ask Joy a relationship question, email her at [email protected], or befriend her on Facebook at Ask Joy. Names are kept confidential.

party supplies and more

573.727.99981201 Sterling Dr.Poplar Bluff, MO

SALE 20-50% off select merchandise