09 December 2011

And Just Like That: A Tweaking

After the appellate panel realized that several of their Senate boundaries might have violated the state constitution concerning counties with more than one district, four of the six members agreed to a revised map that tweaked several districts in the southwest and around St. Louis. So a couple tweaks in the KC area for my proposed names of each district, as follows:

Missouri Senate (Click for maps)
  1. St. Louis South
  2. St. Charles West
  3. Cape Girardeau-St. Genevieve-St. François
  4. St. Louis Forest Hills
  5. St. Louis Riverfront
  6. Lower Osage
  7. Lower North East
  8. Lee's Summit East-Blue Springs-Odessa
  9. Kansas City East
  10. Kansas City West & Lee's Summit West
  11. Independence & Raytown
  12. The North West
  13. St. Louis North
  14. Ferguson-University City-Clayton
  15. St. Louis Southwest
  16. Upper Gasconade
  17. Kansas City North
  18. Upper North East
  19. Boone & Howard
  20. Western Ozarks
  21. The Central West
  22. The Lead Belt
  23. St. Charles North
  24. St. Louis West
  25. The South East
  26. Lower Gasconade
  27. St. Louis Southwest
  28. Lower South West
  29. Upper South West
  30. Springfield
  31. Upper Osage
  32. Jasper & Newton
  33. Eastern Ozarks
  34. Platte & Buchanan

Naming Missouri's New Districts

So now the 130th is the 160th, the 20th is now the 49th, and the 8th's split between the 5th, 6th, and 7th. A subdivision in Liberty that was once wholly in the 34th has part of a cul-de-sac in the 17th and the rest in the 38th. But at least the asynchronous 62nd is now in line with its neighboring districts as the 156th.

Anyone else think these numbers are way out there and confusing? Sure brandishing our area codes are even seeping their way beyond their 'hood origins (660 Represent, Y'all?), but who walks around bragging "I'm from the 39th, don't be messing with me?" (And apologies to the newly elected Judy Morgan from the 39th District, who now gets drawn into the same district as a fellow Democrat, Minority Leader Mike Talboy.)

It's simpler to just use numbers, as it's less time consuming to write down names, but what good is a number to describe your area if it's just going to change every ten years? And even if it's going to change every ten years, what difference does conveying "68" make whether it's along Skinker Boulevard or a stretch of the Butterfield Stagecoach Road?

So let's start naming these districts. Be they after counties, county seats, or neighborhoods, names can be tweaked as need be, and the evolution of the districts can be easier to trace than throwing numbers around and watching a number dart from Rock Port to Athens to the Bootheel over the span of 30 years. So here's what I suggest for names of house districts.

General guidelines:
  • Limit of three proper nouns (similar to Canadian Ridings)
  • Should be ordered by most population to least
  • Emphasis on counties for rural districts, cities or neighborhoods if suburban or urban
  • Cardinal direction should only be used if base location is used more than once
  • Geographical feature or area if possible and patently unique
And now, the obnoxiously sized lists:

Missouri House (Click for maps)
  1. Nodaway & Holt
  2. Upper Grand River
  3. Kirksville & the Green Hills
  4. Canton-Memphis-Edina
  5. Hannibal North & Shelby
  6. Macon & Randolph North
  7. Lower Grand River
  8. Caldwell & Clinton
  9. Savannah & Buchanan East
  10. St. Joseph Center
  11. St. Joseph South-Buchanan West-Platte North
  12. Platte City-Smithville-Kearney
  13. Platte South
  14. Platte Southeast
  15. Gladstone
  16. Shoal Creek Valley
  17. Liberty South & Claycomo
  18. North Kansas City & Vivion Road
  19. Kansas City Northeast
  20. Independence North & Fort Osage
  21. Independence East
  22. [Kansas City] Blue Ridge
  23. Kansas City East
  24. Kansas City Downtown
  25. [Kansas City] Brookside
  26. Kansas City Troost
  27. [Kansas City] Swope Park
  28. Raytown
  29. Independence South & Kansas City Southeast
  30. Independence Southeast & Woods Chapel
  31. Blue Springs South & Tapawingo
  32. Blue Springs North & Jackson East
  33. Harrisonville-Pleasant Hill-Lone Jack
  34. Lee's Summit East & Greenwood
  35. Lee's Summit West & Longview
  36. Kansas City Red Bridge
  37. Grandview & Jackson Southwest
  38. Liberty North & Excelsior Springs
  39. Ray-Carroll-Chariton North
  40. Hannibal South-Paris-Bowling Green
  41. Lincoln & Troy
  42. Warren-Montgomery-St. Charles Southwest
  43. Audrain & Callaway East
  44. Columbia East & Centralia
  45. Columbia Columns
  46. Columbia Southwest
  47. Boone West-Randolph South-Howard East
  48. Boonville-Fayette-Chariton South
  49. Callaway South
  50. Boone South & Moniteau North
  51. Warrensburg East-Marshall-Pettis North
  52. Sedalia & Whiteman
  53. Lafayette
  54. Warrensburg West & Pettis South
  55. Raymore-Peculiar-Cass Central
  56. Belton & Cass West
  57. Cass South-Henry-Benton North
  58. Moniteau South & Morgan
  59. Cole South & Miller North
  60. Jefferson City
  61. Lower Gasconade & Osage
  62. Upper Gasconade & Osage
  63. Wentzville & Wright City
  64. St. Paul & Lincoln Southeast
  65. St. Charles East
  66. Bellefontaine Neighbors & St. Louis Chain Of Rocks
  67. Old Halls Ferry
  68. Florissant Central
  69. Florissant West
  70. Maryland Heights West & Chesterfield North
  71. Maryland Heights-Overland South
  72. Maryland Heights-Overland North
  73. Hazelwood-Lambert-Ferguson West
  74. Ferguson East & Jennings
  75. Dellwood & Castle Point
  76. St. Louis Kingsway
  77. St. Louis University & Fairgrounds
  78. St. Louis Gateway
  79. St. Louis Hyde Park & Lafayette Square
  80. St. Louis Tower Grove
  81. St. Louis Holly Hills
  82. St. Louis Southampton & Lindenwood
  83. Maplewood-Brentwood-Rock Hill
  84. St. Louis Forest Park
  85. Overland East, Bel-Ridge & Northwoods
  86. University City
  87. Clayton & Ladue South
  88. Creve Coeur & Ladue North
  89. Town & Country
  90. Kirkwood
  91. Webster Groves-Shrewsbury-Crestwood
  92. Affton & Concord
  93. Lemay
  94. Mehlville
  95. Oakville
  96. Fenton & Sunset Hills
  97. Arnold West & Murphy
  98. Ballwin Meramec
  99. Manchester & Valley Park
  100. Ballwin North & Chesterfield South
  101. Chesterfield West & Wildwood North
  102. Dardenne Prairie
  103. Cottleville
  104. St. Peters West
  105. St. Peters East
  106. St. Charles West
  107. O'Fallon
  108. Lake St. Louis
  109. Franklin North
  110. Pacific-Eureka-Wildwood South
  111. Jefferson West
  112. Jefferson North
  113. Arnold East & Barnhart West
  114. Festus & Barnhart East
  115. Jefferson South & St. François North
  116. Ste. Genevieve-Farmington East-Perry North
  117. Farmington West & Park Hills
  118. Jefferson Southwest & Washington North
  119. Franklin South & Washington Northwest
  120. Steelville & St. James
  121. Rolla-Dixon-Richland
  122. Waynesville
  123. Laclede East & Camden South
  124. Miller South & Camden North
  125. St. Clair-Hickory-Benton South
  126. Bates & Vernon
  127. Barton-Dade-Jasper Outer
  128. Bolivar & Stockton
  129. Laclede West & Dallas
  130. Greene West
  131. Springfield North
  132. Springfield Center
  133. Springfield Southwest
  134. Springfield South
  135. Springfield East
  136. Springfield Southeast
  137. Greene East & Webster West
  138. Stone & Christian Northwest
  139. Christian West
  140. Christian East
  141. Webster East & Wright
  142. Houston-Big Piney-Edgar Springs
  143. Dent-Shannon-Oregon
  144. Washington South & the Arcadia Valley
  145. Madison-Bollinger-Perry South
  146. Cape Girardeau Outer
  147. Cape Girardeau Inner
  148. Scott East & Mississippi North
  149. New Madrid-Pemiscot North-Mississippi South
  150. Dunklin & Pemiscot South
  151. Stoddard & Scott West
  152. Butler South
  153. Butler North-Ripley-Carter
  154. West Plains & Caulfield
  155. Douglas-Ozark-Taney East
  156. Taney West
  157. Lawrence
  158. Barry
  159. McDonald & Newton South
  160. Newton North
  161. Joplin Hope
  162. Joplin North & Jasper Southwest
  163. Carthage & Oronogo

Missouri Senate (Click for maps)
  1. St. Louis South
  2. St. Charles West
  3. Cape Girardeau-St. Genevieve-St. François
  4. St. Louis Forest Hills
  5. St. Louis Riverfront
  6. Lower Osage
  7. Lower North East
  8. Lee's Summit & Blue Springs
  9. Kansas City East
  10. Kansas City West
  11. Independence & Raytown
  12. The North West
  13. St. Louis North
  14. Ferguson-University City-Clayton
  15. St. Louis Southwest
  16. Upper Gasconade
  17. Kansas City North
  18. Upper North East
  19. Boone & Howard
  20. Western Ozarks
  21. The Central West
  22. Lead Belt
  23. St. Charles North
  24. St. Louis West
  25. The South East
  26. Lower Gasconade
  27. St. Louis Southwest
  28. Lower South West
  29. Upper South West
  30. Springfield
  31. Upper Osage
  32. Jasper & Newton
  33. Eastern Ozarks
  34. Platte & Buchanan

08 December 2011

Lant To Pursue Vacant Seat In McDonald County

If it hasn't run already, portions of my interview with first-term Rep. Bill Lant will air later today, where Lant announces that he will pursue the new 159th District in McDonald County.

Lant, who currently lives outside Joplin and operates a feed store north of Seneca, was drawn into the same district as another first-term Republican, Bill Reiboldt of Neosho. Reiboldt, currently the vice-chairman of the agriculture committee, lives on his family's farm just outside Neosho, and the 160th district is centered on Neosho. Lant says that he owns land in McDonald County and has been planning to build a home there for some time.

The 159th will contain all of McDonald County as well as the Newton County communities of Seneca and Stella. (In fact, the new boundary between the two districts runs along Iris Road, just south of the feed store.) Previously, Neosho was grouped into the 130th district also containing Anderson, Goodman and South West City, wholly surrounded by the 131st district and the state boundary.

Under Missouri law, a representative is allowed to run for office in another district if he or she is forced out by redistricting. If elected, the representative would have one year to relocate. Already Andrew Koenig (R-Wincester), Jason Holsman (D-Kansas City) and now Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) have announced plans to run for vacant districts as a result of being grouped into new districts with other incumbents.

Additionally, Charlie Davis (R-Webb City) is said to be moving to a different part of Webb City as as a result of his placement in a district with Tom Loehner (R-Carthage). The line between the 162nd & 163rd districts is four blocks from Davis' house.

30 November 2011

Brian Williams Chill Pill Needed

Brian Williams, who was once anchor at Joplin's KOAM-TV, displayed a most admirable sense of cool and collected composure when fire alarms blared during his live broadcast of NBC Nightly News this week, and likewise when he did spot reporting from his one-time home in the aftermath of last May's tornado.

If only I had that amount of cool this evening when I saw the new maps of the Missouri House and Senate districts. Fortunately, the Senate maps (outside St. Louis) allowed me to regain some composure and stop my neighbors from asking what the heck I was screaming about. Well, when something odd happens close to home, you're inclined to freak out:

This is the House district line between districts 16 (south) and 38 (north & east). In the northwestern corner is District 12, which will stretch from Platte City to Kearney.

You'd expect to see such sawtooth boundaries in urban districts, but we're not talking about two suburban districts. Because of the population distribution between the growing suburbs of Kansas City and the greying breadbasket of Northern Missouri, District 16 will consist of subdivisions ranging from Gashland and New Mark to Shoal Creek Valley and parts of North Brook, while District 38 will stretch from this area east to Excelsior Springs and Missouri City. However, the population of Liberty (the oldest municipality in the Kansas City area), is in for a shock.

After I gave up on using the state administration office's GIS tool, I downloaded the KML files for display in Google Earth, and the results were damning through Liberty.


This is Exit 17, the junction between Interstate 35 and Highway 291. At this point (OK, a few yards away owing to pre-Interstate road alignments) is the confluence of districts 16 (southwest), 17 (southeast) and 38 (northeast). This is where the boundary for 38 really gets screwy. A small subdivision across from Lewis & Clark Elementary is split along its lone, winding street. It then follows Gallatin down toward Ridgeway Road, heads south toward Fairview and then onto the Junior High.


This is downtown Liberty and one of its historic neighborhoods to the west. The red line decides to jog around, going east a block on Kansas, then south on Moss until it hits Liberty Drive, then east onto Mill until it becomes Richfield Drive at William Jewell. The square and college are in District 38; the Junior High and Franklin Elementary, District 17. Again, William Jewell is in a rural district with Excelsior Springs and Franklin Elementary is in a suburban district with Claycomo and Pleasant Valley.

From Richfield Road, the boundary goes south on Claywoods Parkway, the main north-south road through the Claywoods subdivisions. Until it hits this group of houses:


The district boundary breaks away to group the first two houses on Silverleaf Lane, then goes along the backyards of several houses until it reaches a home that has its back against the cul-de-sac on Crimson Lane. The boundary goes along the property lines, through the cul-de-sac, and then makes a due-south dash for the water treatment plant. Yes, that means two houses on Crimson Lane are in one suburban district, whilst the rest of the street is in the neighboring rural district.

I'm hearing stories of how as many as three incumbents could be pitted against each other for one seat (the new District 5 between Shelby, Marion and northern Monroe counties is coming to mind), but this meticulous buzzsaw through Liberty really got my blood boiling. And this could have been prevented had nine Republicans and nine Democrats been able to actually agree to something workable rather than stick with their own political endeavours.

Now, folks going door to door campaigning through Claywoods and Brooke Meadows will wind up cherry-picking doors as a result of oddly drawn lines.

Get the sheers out, folks. Just don't use them when you're on chill pills soon to be named for Brian Williams.

26 November 2011

On Disparaging Tweets

November doesn't seem like a good month to be a Tweeter in a certain state to the west.

This week, regional media was abuzz over a tweet sent by Emma Sullivan, a senior at Shawnee Mission East High School, making a disparaging comment about Kansas Governor Sam Brownback as he was speaking to her school's Youth in Government during a field trip to the state capitol in Topeka. She and her supporters say the tweet (complete with "#heblowsalot") was a joke, but the Governor's office is certainly not laughing, as their complaint to administrators at East has resulted in the school requiring Sullivan to write a letter of apology to Brownback.

While this certainly tests the lines on freedom of expression within the confines of our schools, especially when it comes to social media and politics, I'm only dumbstruck by the lack of decorum exhibited by both parties. While students should not "check their First Amendment rights at the door", as famously phrased in Tinker vs. United States, it was disrespectful of Sullivan to make that Tweet as the governor was speaking to her school group. She certainly had the right to make those comments, but the manner in which it was done lacked tact (and, if such a policy exists, likely goes against the school's code on mobile phone use during class or similar school function).

The governor's office isn't looking any better on this. Sullivan's Twitter feed, prior to this week's row, only had fewer than 100 followers. It was public and open for anyone to find and search. Including Brownback's director of communications, who informed the school about the tweet. Plenty of Brownback detractors are calling the action and mere existence of saved searches scouring the web for anything mention the governor's name as akin to the thought police. While it's unclear whether the governor's office demanded the apology or school administrators suggested the idea, it's a blatant over-reaction.

If Brownback (or more appropriately his staffers) are worried about a singular insult from an 18-year-old, self-identified Democrat who plans on going to college in a different state, how the heck are they going to handle proper criticism from a serious political challenger? And if the school's administration have taken it upon themselves to mandate this letter, complete with talking points, how exactly is this a student making a sincere apology for an act of disrespect and not administrators in Kansas' second-largest school district begging Brownback to not take out his disapproval (or disdain for dissenting opinions) on their funding?

Then again, if Brownback would cut funding or demand apologies because of Tweets that lack all sense of decorum, KU's "Missouri forfeits a century-old rivalry. We win." three weeks ago should bring about a similar action, especially if today's game results in Mizzou claiming a lop-sided win on their way to the SEC East.

28 May 2011

The Joplin Spirit

The following was submitted for publication in The Romney Marsh Times, an internet-based publication serving the Romney Marsh area of Kent.

When I relocated to the Kentish Riviera two years ago, one of the first things I did was review the history of the area I was soon to call home. Although my time in Folkestone lasted far shorter than I had hoped, I left having a greater understanding and appreciation for many of the aspects that form common characteristics in our rechristened “essential relationship”.

One of these common traits is the can-do attitude that a people who fervently believe in their way of life and fellow man, woman and child can overcome any oppressive, seemingly insurmountable obstacle. The Dunkirk Spirit—the rescue of thousands of British soldiers from the onslaught of the Third Reich’s Blitzkrieg—reverberates to this day in the many war memorials, community events, and appeals that bring together villages and towns across Britain. The challenge proved difficult with the arrival of the Blitz, especially in Hellfire Corner. But Britain persevered.

Two years today marks the first time I walked through the garden on Sandgate Road, where Christ Church once stood. Its clock tower remained intact following persistent cross-Channel bombardment, a testament to the Dunkirk Spirit. In the past week, I’ve been reminded of that testament as Mother Nature unleashed her worst on my home state Missouri.

It only took a matter of minutes for a tornado to descend on the south end of Joplin and carve a path of devastation six miles long and in some places a mile wide. The numbers and pictures from the area are jarring: 142 dead, at least 100 still unaccounted for, tens of thousands homeless, nearly $3 billion (£1.82 billion) in damage, and street corners unrecognisable. The cyclone has been described as the eighth-deadliest in the record books, the worst in almost sixty years. And storms causing flash flooding and more tornado scares have only added insult to injury.

While it will take years for Joplin to physically recover, its spirit is far from broken.

Within hours of the storm’s damage airing on local and national television, donation drives and volunteer efforts began sprouting up. The next morning, Americans from every walk of life offered their change, blood veins, and labour to help. Over 65,000 people joined a Facebook group expressing support for Joplin's recovery, also giving survivors a chance to reconnect with loved ones. Church congregations and businesses from Springfield, Tulsa, Northwest Arkansas, Kansas City and beyond sent lorry after lorry containing much-needed essentials. Donation appeals emerged in bank parking lots, hotel lobbies, and even a furniture outlet store collecting stuffed toys. Major sport clubs are in the effort, with the owner of Kansas City’s NFL franchise taking a hands-on role in packing bottled water.

Amid the damage, the rebuilding has already begun. Flags fly full-mast at Joplin’s damaged school buildings, including the high school that must be razed and rebuilt. The St John’s Regional Medical Center, whose nine-storey shell has become the icon of this disaster, is already crafting plans for a new facility to continue their 126-year ministry. While these are critical pillars of any community, it falls on the people who call Joplin home to revive and sustain their wounded hometown.

One would only need dial into any of Joplin’s radio stations to hear their spirit endure. Since 4 p.m. Sunday Joplin’s main ownership cluster has provided continuous coverage, allowing residents to call and tell the world they’re OK, find out information about shelters, and look for loved ones who have gone missing. Several staff members remain at the studios with nothing but what they brought in that weekend, and they remain committed to getting their community back on their feet. I can barely imagine how I would be able to endure were I to find myself in a similar situation, prioritising the needs of my community over the pain of personal loss.

While it is expected of any licensed broadcaster, canine search and rescue team, or national guardsman to provide their public service during a crisis, it takes community spirit to overcome the personal grief and dismay from living in the midst of a nightmare and pull together for the greater good.

The history books will look at the tornado of 22nd May 2011 not as the single twister that destroyed one-third of Missouri’s thirteenth-largest city, but as the calamity that cultivated the Joplin Spirit. An EF-5 cyclone may have uprooted the lives of tens of thousands, but millions of hearts, bound and beating together with prayer, charity for an afflicted neighbour, and sense of duty to restore some semblance of normalcy, will remain firmly entrenched in all who call Joplin and surrounding communities home.

Joplin will persevere. Its streets may resemble a war zone, but its people are resilient and their fellow Missourians stand in solidarity for their recovery.

The Joplin Spirit will prevail.

31 March 2011

Fayetteville Finger, Meet Nolte's Notch

Being situated in Missouri's unofficial 118th County, naturally I've been keeping an eye on the redistricting efforts in the Natural State. Today, Arkansas's House approved a measure that would draw Fayetteville and southeastern Washington County into the Democrat-leaning Fourth Congressional District and out of the third, which currently is centered on the I-540 corridor. The vote went 52-46, with only one of Fayetteville's reps voting for the proposal.

So the talk of gerrymandering down here has giving me a sharpened set of eyes to review the proposed map that Missouri's House Redistricting Committee has placed on its Web site and discussed in earnest today. Naturally, the presumed "odd man out" Russ Carnahan joined with likely primary opponent William Clay in opposing the proposal to split St. Louis City and County among two districts. And with Missouri having to redraw to account for one less district, there will be plenty of fighting in the six weeks remaining in the General Assembly's session.

And while most of the state's focus will be on St. Louis (again, because a member of the Carnahan dynasty is pretty much the "odd man out"), lines have shifted considerably in the Western half of the state.

Consider the current setup of Kansas City and, by extension, the Athenian corridor better known as Highway 63: (derived from The National Atlas' map of Missouri's current delegations)

After the 2000 Census, Jackson County was split between three congressional districts, the bulk containing Kansas City in the Democrat-leaning fifth, a sliver in the stalwart fourth, and an increasingly conservative suburban region added to the expansive sixth. Columbia anchored the ninth district that covered Northeast Missouri and added counties along the northernmost reaches of the Ozarks.

Now, under the House's initial plan, we have this:

Lafayette, Ray, and Saline counties would be added to the fifth, and in exchange for losing Ike Skelton's stomping grounds, the fourth would receive Howard and Cooper counties from the sixth, plus Columbia in Boone County and the southern half of Randolph County, including all of Moberly. The remainder of the ninth would go to the sixth in the north and a new third district in the south. Miller County, which was originally at the edge of the district and jutting between the fourth and sixth, now becomes a critical retention point as the home county of incumbent Blaine Leuktemeyer. To that effect, Cole and most of Camden are added to this re-designated district.

The wonkiest drawings here, though, take place along the major byways of Kansas City's suburbs. With Jackson County's overall population showing little growth, adding Ike's core counties (traditionally Democrat) didn't do enough to bring the district's population up to snuff. Especially after the current portion in Cass County was moved to the fourth, as to ensure that incumbent Vicky Hartzler had the entirety of her home county. And with Eastern Jackson County solidly leaning Republican, placing them in the fifth would cause displeasure in their ranks, despite Sam Graves having to cross through the fifth to get there by car. So enter Clay County, a decent mix of suburbs to the south and west, farmland points north and east:


The line in red denotes the county line not marking the boundary between the two districts. Note that with Jackson to the south and Ray to the east, the fifth district would claim two significant population areas: Excelsior Springs and Lawson in the northeast corner, and several gentrified suburbs in the southwest. While these areas have historically leaned Democratic, this (as well as every other district being redrawn or not being redrawn for lack of enough population to warrant multiple districts in a state) guarantees nothing come November 2012.

Hence, labeling this convenient drawing of the line meandering through Jackson and Clay counties "Nolte's Notch", so named for State Representative and former Gladstone mayor Jerry Nolte. Nolte has generated plenty of attention with proposed this legislation this year, particularly his bills pegging the state's minimum wage to the federal minimum wage, requiring drivers tests to be administered in English, and eliminating the franchise tax over the next five years. Nolte, who is term-limited from the House after 2012, piqued the pundits' attention when he created an exploratory committee to look at a run for Congress when Graves was flirting at the prospect of challenging Claire McCaskill for the Senate.

Less than 24 hours after Nolte filed exploratory paperwork, Graves announced he would prefer staying in the House as chairman of the Committee on Small Businesses. When interviewed by Roll Call's Tricia Miller later that week, Nolte indicated that he would still consider a run for Congress if he happened to be going up against Emmanuel Cleaver, current representative from the fifth.

Cleaver, the AME preacher who was mayor of Kansas City from 1991 to 1999, received a scare from perennial Republican challenger Jacob Turk in 2010. Cleaver won re-election with only 53 percent of the vote, and now serves as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

So lo and behold: Nolte's Notch, encompassing North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, Gracemor and Birmingham. A chance for him or any Republican who didn't want to challenge Graves or Hartzler to take their aim on Cleaver, and by extension anything remotely to the left of them.

Of course, the Senate has yet to release their proposal, and both are subject to changes large and small as the next six weeks play out. And it's not yet known how the Blue Dog counties of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline would react to being represented by either a minority Democrat from the urban core or a suburbanite Republican from a county that backed Proposition B by a two-to-one margin. But if the House's plan were to hold firm, Missouri could end up with one Democrat out of eight in their House delegation. Presuming, rather prematurely, the chips fall the same way in 2012 the way they did in 2010.

23 March 2011

A Refresher Course For Mike

A Primer From Someone Who Pretty Much Did The Same Thing Mike's Doing:
Left Missouri To Return To An Old Job Just Outside The State


Things have changed rapidly in Northwest Arkansas since the last time Mike Anderson held a job here. Heck, even some things changed since I was last employed south of the border some 22 months ago. But now, since I've been here the last five weeks re-acquainting myself with the turf that formed my initial status as The Missouri Expatriate, I'm going to relay some refreshers to the newest escapee from The Shear-Me State.

  1. There are a lot more people here than there were when Nolan was chased out of town with pitchforks.
    Yep, Northwest Arkansas remains one of the fastest growing places in the nation. Two of the fastest growing counties in the 2010 Census were Washington and Benton counties, the two that make up the core of the region. In fact, Benton's rapid growth allowed them to surpass Washington (whose county seat is Fayetteville) as the second-most populous county in the Natural State, with Pulaski still in the top spot. With that in mind…
  2. Ojala que haya aprendido español, laosiano o aún marshalesa.
    The rapid growth of population and commerce in the area also includes a large influx of migrant workers from Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Marshall Islands. Most of them are employed by the poultry behemoth Tyson and their competitors George's, Cargill and Cobb-Vantress. This influx has added a unique character to their places of residence. Be ready to translate to English several signs, especially along 8th Street in Rogers and the east end of Springdale.
  3. Forget Hy-Vee, QuikTrip, and Shakespeare's. They're still not here.
    Although the area has a plethora of independent pizza joints (Jim's Razorback, Eureka, Tim's), there's nothing like the unique feel of Shakespeare's. Also, it's going to be hit-or-miss finding Boulevard on tap (though I confess I don't know if Mike's the kind of guy who'll down a pint) or toasted ravioli.

    Despite Iowa-based Kum and Go making an aggressive push into the market (and fellow Hawkeye chain Casey's building its first store in Arkansas at Bella Vista's Highland Crossing) Hyvee still hasn't set designs on the area, with Walmart and Harps remaining the main game. (Yes, that means no Schnuks either!) And although QuikTrip is headquartered 90 miles to the west in Tulsa, they haven't touched the area either.
  4. There's still no Bella Vista bypass, either.
    Get used to stopping at lights in Jane and stop-and-go traffic between Lancashire Drive and Lowe's, because the Bella Vista Bypass remains nowhere near completion. It's the critical cog that's keeping MoDOT from having US-71 south of Joplin labelled I-49. And if we're lucky, a two-lane bypass will open in four years that'll just provide a shortcut to Hiwasse. Worse, MoDOT's had the funding ready for years, but now as Arkansas's getting their act together to bypass what is now the state's ninth-largest city, MoDOT sits at risk of a massive budget shortfall.
  5. Get ready to elect a congressman from Texarkana. Or Helena-West Helena.
    In spite of civic leaders and members of both parties saying how flagrant a gerrymander it is, members of Arkansas' re-districting committees are seriously considering a plan that would gerrymander Fayetteville out of the Third District (which reaches to Harrison, Fort Smith and Russellville) and into the last-remaining Democrat district, the fourth district in the southern half of the state. Supporters contend that Fayetteville's majority-Democrat population believe their votes are being wasted in a district that's been reliably Republican for 30-plus years. However, this gerrymander would be achieved by a "pig tail" through the Ozark National Forest in eastern Sebastian County, entirely surrounded by the Third District. And really, what does a college town surrounded by Walmart, Tyson, and J.B. Hunt have in common with the likes of DeQueen, Crossett and Lake Village?

    And yes, Helena consolidated with West Helena, and the city is in fact called "Helena-West Helena".
  6. Didn't like paying to see the Columbia Tribune online? It's worse with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
    While the Columbia Tribune allows you to view ten articles online before making you pay (and you can get around it by reading the Missourian or any other paper in Missouri), you only get an abstract with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette before they insist you pay to view. Good luck finding any other daily to get freebie views; the closest is Neosho and Joplin, and they're owned by the same people who run the Kirksville Daily Express. Yeah.
  7. Politics and planes aren't a problem here.
    No need to worry about fans from either side of the aisle taking "damn planes" to see the Hogs play. Democrat Mike Beebe's well liked here despite Arkansas becoming increasingly red, and he rarely leaves the Little Rock area.
  8. Unfortunately, fluoridated water is.
    Despite the EPA advising polities to hold off on increasing the amount of fluoride in their drinking water, Beebe already signed legislation essentially overriding local standards and setting a statewide minimum. So once locating a dentist that's either in the Third or Fourth District that's going to charge a wee bit extra so the office staff can read entire articles online, check to make sure that iconic smile isn't getting scarred by streaks of fluoride.
  9. On the bright side, once the euphoric homecoming passes and Arkansas is still languishing in the just-as-lousy SEC West, XNA has plenty of flights to choose from to escape the throngs of fans that still have Houston Nutt's scalp on the end of their pitchforks.
    The only thing missing is Southwest, but sooner or later they'll come here. Heck, Southwest already has an in at Branson's airport once the acquisition of AirTran is complete.
So there's my refresher course. Good luck Mike, because we're both going to need it.

21 February 2011

Full Circle

Last week, I once again became an expatriate of the Show-Me State. I accepted an offer from my once-previous employers, KURM, and again am a member of their programming staff in Northwest Arkansas' Rogers. (And again I must note that views expressed here, past present and future, do not reflect the view of any of my employers, past present or future.)

This could easily be the inevitable death knell of this blog. With Missives from Missouri averaging 25 hits a day on weekly reports from nearly one-fifth the General Assembly, it has simply become the crux of what I publish online. If you haven't already, please start following Missives from Missouri on Twitter as well as the site itself.

However, I'm still that stubborn Missouri mule. I'll probably have something to post here from time to time. Good chance this will become a clip site featuring interviews I've done for them (seeing as the most riveting content on the station's Web site are the rules for Dial-A-Trade; were that not the case this blog would be on indefinite hiatus!)

As it has taken awhile for me to get situated in my flat in Missouri's 118th county, I have only now just gotten around to posting this, and a backlog of missives from the weekend are finally getting uploaded.

So here we go again: yours truly, The Missouri Expatriate

08 February 2011

A Setting Everyone in Lohman Needs to Set

Four Missouri lawmakers and a staffer have had their Facebook profiles hacked into over the past month. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the victimized profiles logged onto Facebook via the House's public WiFi network shortly before being targeted.

Amid suggestions that the House should tighten access to their network, Facebook has introduced an option where users can log on and and surf with a secure connection. All users need to is go to their account settings and set up HTTPS browsing under "Account Security". Using an HTTPS connection, while resulting in longer waits for pages to load, would result in more information being encrypted when sent to and from the site.

Facebook's new security options includes e-mail and text alerts when a computer or mobile device access a user's account for the first time. They're also experimenting with social authentication, using pictures of the user's friends to verify that the person logging on is not a random hacker.

The change comes as an effort to prevent hackers from gaining access via public wireless networks, like those the House and Senate have in place at the State Capitol in Jefferson City. Since the session started last month, Democrat Stacey Newman of St. Louis, three Republicans (among them freshmen Donna Lichtenegger of Jackson and Dave Schatz of Sullivan) and a legislative aide to another Republican were victimized by hackers.

07 January 2011

MoDOT Lets Peyton Manning Decide When Road Work Starts

Roadwork on Interstate 70 in Jackson County comes down to whether Peyton Manning has a bad day against the Jets tomorrow.

And if Ray Lewis can replicate Oakland's shredding of the Chiefs' offensive line.

The Missouri Department of Transportation are rebuilding the George Brett Bridge this winter, and its start date is contingent on how well the Kansas City Chiefs do in the postseason. The Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

As the fourth seed, the Chiefs have a slim prospect of hosting the AFC Championship. For that to happen, the Jets must win tomorrow at Indianapolis. Were the Chiefs to win, they would then have to defeat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, and the Jets would have to overcome their division rivals at New England. So long as a chance exists, MoDOT will delay construction of the bridge carrying the Blue Ridge Cutoff.

However, if Manning plays as he normally does at Lucas Oil Field, the bridge comes down Monday morning, even if the Chiefs win. Either way, crews will have until 30 March to complete construction of the new bridge, in time for the Royals home opener at Kauffman Stadium.

The new Blue Ridge Cutoff/George Brett Bridge is part of a widening of I-70 through the area. The project so far has brought a new bridge carrying U.S. Highway 40 over I-435. By 2012, ramps in the area will be reconfigured to better handle traffic and accommodate a third lane for I-70. This includes eliminating the junction with Manchester Avenue and adding ramps from Southbound I-435 to US-40. Sport fans from the north will have to use this new ramp to access the stadia, as traffic from north I-435 will no longer be able to access Blue Ridge Cutoff via I-70 east.

03 January 2011

Missouri's County Seats Might As Well Be Musical Chairs

As a buff of Missouri history and geography, I naturally take pride in much of what Missouri has to offer. From the scenery of the rustic Ozarks and verdant Green Hills to our many attractions in cities large and small, we have a wonderful state.

And quirky one when it comes to county seats.

Indeed, our first five counties (Cape Girardeau, New Madrid, St. Charles, St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve) all have cities with the same name. And were it not for St. Louis City splitting from the county in 1876, all five would be in their namesake counties. From there, though, it gets confusing. Of those five cities, only three are the county seat. Cape Girardeau County's seat isn't Cape Girardeau, but Jackson.

And yet Jackson County's five hours away from the city of Jackson.

Travel north and west from Jackson and dissociations begin to crop up. At first they're not prevalent; starting with Perryville in Perry County and then Ste. Genevieve. But arrive in Jefferson County and find out that Jefferson City is two hours west, in Cole County. From there things start to get shuffled.

There is no Cole City, but instead a Cole Camp. That's in the north of Benton County. Next to Cole Camp is Lincoln. But Lincoln County's just north of St. Charles County, and their county seat is Troy. At least there's no Troy County, so it's safe to venture west into Washington County.

Washington, though, is in neighboring Franklin County. And right on the border with Franklin County is Sullivan, a solid three hours southeast of Sullivan County in the heart of the north central Green Hills. Go west from Sullivan and arrive in the town of Linn, the county seat of Osage County. But Linn County is immediately south of Sullivan County. And the only Missouri city with Osage in its name is Osage Beach, nestled against the Lake of the Ozarks in Camden County.

Next to Camden County is Miller County, whose county seat of Tuscumbia doesn't sound a thing like Miller. The city of Miller, it turns out, is further southwest, about 25 miles west of Springfield in the northern part of Lawrence County. In the midst of the confusion along Missouri's Rhineland, a dose of sanity goes unnoticed. The town of Gasconade marks the spot where the Gasconade empties into the Missouri River. It happens in Gasconade County, a few miles upstream from county seat Hermann. Just past St. Charles County, where the city of St. Charles has stood as the county seat for nearly two centuries, is Warren County, where Warrenton serves as county sear. And just west of Warren is Montgomery, where Montgomery City helms its namesake county. Certainly, sanity has returned to the state, right?

Unfortunately, just before Warrenton was the city of Wright City, and Wright County is well to the south, 25 miles east of Springfield. With heads hurting, up ahead lies the Kingdom of Callaway, with no city to its name, nor any Fulton County to require an extra two Tylenol from the truck stop across from Ozarkland. Trickle west into Boone County and then find out that Boonville is opposite Boone County in Cooper County.

Best get the extra two Tylenol now, and have more handy when looking north to Randolph County. Just past the line from Boone County is Clark, the hometown of General Omar Bradley. Quiet, picturesque, and only two hours south of Clark County in the northeasternmost corner of the state. Just outside Randolph County in Monroe is the town of Madison. Sure enough, go back to the southeast to find Madison County, tapering the southern edge of the Lead Belt. Fortunately, the detour north nets Monroe City split between Monroe and Marion counties, and Macon as the county seat of Macon County. Further north leaves Knox City just east of Knox County's seat Edina and Lewistown in Lewis County. And tucked in the northeastern corner of Adair County is the hamlet of Adair.

Then the headache returns when finding north of Monroe City, in the county of Marion, a town called Warren. And finding a town called Marionville just east of Aurora in Lawrence County. Lawrence County also claims another two towns with similar-named counties, with Phelps in the opposite corner of the county, but Phelps County two hours northeast on I-44. And Mount Vernon, the county seat, is 90 minutes south-southeast of Vernon County. It's fitting perhaps that no city in Missouri is named Lawrence, but instead a city in Kansas that happens to be the home of the Jayhawks.

And along I-44 is Waynesville in Pulaski County, with Wayne County back in the southeast. Wayne County's seat Greenburg brings back memories of Springfield, the seat of Greene County, and Dade County's seat of Greenfield. Not to mention Lebanon, the county seat of Laclede County, with Morgan just to the southeast in spite of Morgan County being the next county north.

Laclede happens to be the hometown of General John J. Pershing. In Linn County, between Brookfield and county seat Linneus.

Kansas City can't come quick enough, even if it's the largest city in Missouri. And wholly surrounds a speed-trap village called Randolph in Clay County.

Continuing west on I-70, a welcome reprieve from the confusion. No cross-matching names, and north of Marshall in Saline County: a city called Carrollton, in Carroll County no less. Ray County to the west of that, with a town called Rayville northwest of its county seat Richmond. (Never mind the river town of Camden, not to be confused with Camden County's seat of Camdenton.)

Just before Jackson County is another collection of truck stops in Bates City. Have more Tylenol on hand when finding out that Bates City lies an hour south of Kansas City and that its county seat is Butler. Butler County is back toward the bootheel, with seat at Poplar Bluff. Arrive in Jackson County, and the home county of Harry Truman, and the confusion seems to take a back seat for a moment as the sights of the downtown skyline, sports complex, and strong aroma of barbecue overcome the weary traveller.

Intrigued by the patriotism of finding Independence in Jackson County and Liberty across the river in Clay, it's time to travel north (past Claycomo) to find another crop of dissociations. At the border between Clay and Clinton counties is Holt. But Holt County is in the northwest, and Clinton's the county seat of Henry County, two hours south. Holt's county seat is Oregon, and while Oregon County is back down in the thick of the Ozarks, neighboring Nodaway County looks south find the town of Nodaway in Holt County. DeKalb County harbors the same sentiment toward Buchanan, where west of Faucett sits the town of DeKalb.

All the while to the east of Nodaway County, Worth and Gentry sit as friendly neighbors. Both towns in their respective counties, and their county seats Grant City and Albany lie a further ten miles apart from each of them. On the other side of Harrison County is Mercer County, where just north of Princeton is Mercer. It didn't bleed off on Harrison County, where nary a town named Harrison is to be found.

Instead it's Bethany as the capital seat, and Harrisonville sits in the center of Cass County. Further down the chain it's Cassville in Barry County. And Barry? Just a memory, with the short-lived hamlet now part of Kansas City's vast suburbs along its namesake road in Clay and Platte counties. (At least Platte's doing it right with their seat in Platte City.)

At least a trip down Highway 71 toward Joplin will ease the hurting mind (after passing through Harrisonville but not Harrison County and Butler but not Butler County) when arriving at the setting of the classic Patrick Swayze film "Roadhouse". A sleepy town at the north of Jasper County. Called Jasper. Take it easy for a moment, because after the county seat of Carthage and before Joplin is Carterville.

Carter County's at least three hours east, northwest of Butler County. And that will require crossing through Christian County's seat of Ozark before passing through Ozark County. At least Taney has Taneyville and Reynolds is in Reynolds, next to its county seat in Centerville. Next to Reynolds is Iron County, with county seat at Ironton.

Certainly back in Southeast Missouri this perpetual game of musical chairs doesn't continue, confusing newcomers to the Show-Me State?

Not quite. Just to the south of Cape Girardeau is Scott County. Its county seat? Benton. And Scott City, sure enough, isn't in Scott County, but close.

Just cross into Cape Girardeau County, also the home of Bollinger Mill. Bollinger County will wait a few miles to the west.