TGIF: Thank God I'm Female

Heading out for Heaven Fest; clarification on Web site work

2010-07-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

We are leaving on a trip in the morning that hopefully we all will remember for a long time to come. Eight teenagers and me. If they don’t remember it, I know I will.

Tomorrow morning we’ll cram into two cars like sardines and spend 10 hours on the road with stinky feet, the stench of Corn Nuts and, I’m sure, … potato chip farts. Six boys and three girls? You know there is bound to be some farting going on.

We’ll spend the night with Jeromy’s mom in Colorado and head to Heaven Fest in Longmont, Colo., early Saturday morning.

ahhhh, Heaven Fest – a full day with 70 Christian bands, seven stages and 30,000 people. I am giddy just thinking about it. No mudslinging. No bashing. No adults acting like children. Well, there might be adults acting like children, but in a good way.

So, before it gets printed that I didn’t even bother to show up at Monday’s commission meeting, I’ll just let everyone know I won’t be there, and now you know why. It won’t be because I don’t want to deal with all the drama … which I don’t, but I would. It will be because I will be on the road home from a glorious weekend with eight great teenagers.

I left several suggestions for the new county Web site with the commissioners to discuss in my absence and filled them in on what I’ve done so far.

Speaking of the Web site, I received a clarification regarding the treasurer’s deputy, and I want to share it.

The e-mail was from the deputy’s grandmother, who I respect very much and regretted the statements I made much because of her. She is an outstanding woman with a huge heart and tons of class.

She said she wanted me to know the truth about her granddaughter and the Web site she presented to the county commissioners. She said her granddaughter did work on the Web site presentation at the grandmother’s house, three nights in a row, after hours on her own time.

It was nice to hear from someone, and I’m glad we got at least a couple things cleared up. Now, we’ll see about the rest …

For the record, I did not charge the county for putting together my presentation, either.

Here is a total of my charges since May, when I began covering meetings for the county. Anyone is more than welcome to see my invoices; they are public records on file with the Grant County Clerk.

Hours for July                        Total hours to date:
                                             (Since end of May)
Covering meetings: 8.5            Hrs to Date: 23.75

Web maintenance: 2.5             Hrs to Date: 4

New Web site: 8.25                Hrs. to Date: 17.75

Total paid July: $385              Total billed to date: $900

I’m not sure how an average of about $400 a month equals $10,400 to $20,000 a year, but if you figure it out, let me know. Also, that average will drop as soon as the Web site is up and going.

Dumb publisher has dumb friends

2010-07-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

For those readers who think they can just make copies of my blog willy-nilly and circulate them at their own free will around the Grant County Courthouse, I’d like to introduce you to a little well-known concept called copyright law. That link will tell you that you should have asked my permission before you decided to self-publish my work. This link will tell you that what you thought you knew about material on the Internet being fair game ... is completely wrong, much like your use of the county courthouse as your personal forum is completely wrong.

Did you make those copies at home, or did taxpayer dollars pay for them? Just curious, because the wording at the top indicates they were faxed from the Grant County Treasurer's Office at 4:45 p.m. - after hours ... on election night. Interesting.

I had made the following post the day before yesterday, but I took it down when I got up this morning, about 6:15 a.m., for reasons I will explain in a second. About four hours later, I received a call from someone who had received a paper copy of it. I learned later that many, many people had received copies of it. I don't remember ever giving anyone permission to make even a single copy of it, much less distribute it. If people want to read my post, they can visit my blog. If I want to publish my work and circulate it, I will. If you want to publish my work and circulate it, then I'd appreciate a phone call. If you want to publish my work and circulate it using county dollars, my attorney will be in touch with the district attorney.

I took the post down not because I don’t stand behind it but because of one person involved, and that is the treasurer’s deputy. I wholeheartedly apologize to her and her family for the comments made.

I am fed up with the bickering. I am sick of adults acting like third-graders. I cannot fathom how grown people can hold on to grudges for such a long period of time. Even the Tiger Woods “scandal” didn’t last this long, and when it was all said and done, there really was no scandal after all.

I’ve written about several reasons why I closed the paper, but I’ve never written about the fact that I got to the point that I wanted to vomit every Monday morning when I had to sit in that commission meeting. Now, I’m right back in there, and that old feeling is starting to creep in again.

Maybe I’m just over-the-top when it comes to public meetings and public funds, but I don’t appreciate the disrespect that goes on in there. I’ve seen eyes rolling, snickering, note passing, and I’m not talking about the board members. I’m talking about the audience members, some of whom are being paid by county dollars. To be honest, in all the meetings I’ve ever covered in any county, I have never witnessed behavior like what goes on in Grant County commission meetings.

I just want some of our public officials to grow up! And I guess that’s one reason I took down my blog this morning. I felt like I had stooped to their level by even owning up to the fact that this crap gets to me. But you know what, I’m human. It gets to me. I hate it. I loathe it. I’m not thick-skinned enough for it, and I’m not embarrassed to say it.

So, since copies have already been made of it – after a whopping sum of 61 people visited my entire blog the day I published it – I guess I’ll just keep it on here. I said it. I felt it. I still feel it, but now, I’m admitting it – permanently, publicly, in print.

That does not mean, however, that anyone can copy it and distribute it how they see fit. If you want people to read it, here it is. Send them a link.

Copyright 2010 Korina L. Schneider

HOW MANY IDIOT PUBLISHERS DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE A LIBEL STATEMENT? JUST ONE AND HE, UNFORTUNATELY, WORKS IN GRANT COUNTY

This morning, I said hello to a woman who generally is very friendly toward me. She snarled at me, making eye contact, and walked right on past. I have no doubt she heard me say hello and intended for me to see her dirty look. It was quite obvious.

I have received a few of these looks from several people lately. I’ve also heard reports of inaccurate information being printed, so I’m assuming – like I know I shouldn’t – that some people are upset because they have been duped unwittingly into believing lies that have been printed about me.

I used to hate the expression, “You can’t believe everything you read in the papers” because I was educated by ethical journalists who prided themselves on informing the public accurately, truthfully and honestly, with integrity – even when they might not have agreed with the agenda.

That’s the way respectable journalism works. Too bad it no longer exists in Grant County.

During the past few weeks, it has been reported in our local rag that I would be paid anywhere from $10,400 to $20,000 for creating a Web site for the county. It has been implied that I asked for this job. Neither lies are true.

The facts regarding the Web site were presented during open meeting more than once with the publisher of the paper present – or at least his tape recorder was present. Still, the truth has been wrongly reported in the Weekly Wipe.

The publisher knows the truth yet has failed – or maybe just refused? – to correct letters to the editor which gave completely false information. That’s called libel – even when someone else writes it. It is the editor and/or publisher’s job to correct wrong information or delete it altogether. That’s one of the first rules we learned in journalism school. I guess he didn’t attend.

The truth that should have been printed is that I will charge $20 an hour to build the Web site, which I anticipate to take around 75 to 80 hours. I am limited to less than 10 hours a week to work on the Web site and to work for the county. You do the math, and then try to find an individual who will build a 45-page Web site (so far), sit through county meetings at least once a week and make necessary updates to keep the county legal cheaper than that.

I did my research. I know what Web builders charge, and it’s a far cry more than what I am charging. I won’t work for free, but I have no intentions of gouging the county, either. Those are my tax dollars the commissioners are spending.

Those who know me know that I have been an advocate for honest and efficient government for as long as I can remember. My dad served almost 30 years as a public employee and fireman.

I have served as a city/county government reporter for nearly 13 years. I do not and will not ever take advantage of tax dollars.

Because I have covered so many public meetings, I know my way around the courthouse and the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, which the county is bound by law to follow. A government Web site is different and more in-depth (or at least should be more in-depth) than an average business or individual Web site, and I already possessed the knowledge to create a Web site that includes all the public information that should be on a county Web site. So yes, that is another reason it made sense for the commissioners to ask me to design a Web site.

And forgive me for saying, but I spent many years acquiring this knowledge and information. After four years of college and 13 years of studying open meetings first-hand, I don’t feel like $20 an hour is too much to ask. Few people besides journalists and attorneys know much about the Open Meeting Act, and I bet you can make a rough guess as to how much attorneys charge to share that information. 

For the woman who wrote the letter proclaiming that she would have built the Web site for free on her own time, I have three words – “YOU DID NOT!”

She made a presentation to the commissioners at the same time I did – with the publisher of the paper present – stating the treasurer had given her permission to work on the Web site on county time – while she was working in the treasurer’s office. Last I checked, she doesn’t work for free. She also took the liberty of asking the commissioners’ assistant to take over the Web site once she had it built. That was a pretty ballsy move considering the commissioners’ assistant works for the commissioners – not the treasurer’s deputy.

That would sort of be like me volunteering to build a Web site for the city, charging the city for it and then requesting – over the city manager’s head – the city clerk to take it over once I have it up and running. Would you have the nerve to do this?

For one, the city clerk more than likely wouldn’t know how to maintain a Web site (not saying she couldn’t learn, but again, that would be at the city’s expense), and for another, the city clerk wouldn’t have TIME to do so!

Again, the publisher of the local paper attended that meeting. He heard this woman’s presentation but still printed a letter to the editor from the same woman who stated the exact opposite of what she told everyone in the meeting. She said in her letter to the editor that she told the commissioners she would build the Web site for free, after hours, on her own time. She said no such thing!

This matter was later publicly addressed in a county meeting at which the publisher was present, but these points didn’t get printed in the paper – not even as “clarifications.” This, too, is called libel. He knows the truth but is choosing to ignore it.

The woman who wrote the letter and made the presentation is forgiven in my book. She is part of my Christian family, and I already regret making some of the harsh statements above.

Low-life publishers, however, who are an embarrassment to community journalism will get absolutely no respect from me. Zilch. Forgiveness is a whole different bird than respect, and we can talk about that later.

For now, I’d like to talk about the last comment I read regarding the most atrocious statement printed yet in that sorry excuse for toilet paper. The letter stated that the county had signed a year-long contract with The North Central Reporter to print county legal notices, and the writer wanted to know if I had paid the money back!

This is the one that really sticks in my crawl. If anyone knows how county legal notices work, it is the publisher of the Medford Manure Spreader.

He was so upset about not receiving money for the county’s legal notices that he threw a big baby fit last summer when the commissioners chose to print legals in The NCR.

He knows for a fact that legal notices are not paid in advance. There is no way possible to pay for them in advance: no one can guess how long they will be or how much they will cost! Yet, he published a letter to the editor claiming I received county money for an entire year of legal notices, when I wasn’t even in business six months of that year. I’m getting good at spelling the word L-I-B-E-L!

Let me make this one crystal clear: I RECEIVED NO MONEY FROM THE COUNTY FOR PUBLISHING LEGAL NOTICES THAT NEVER PRINTED.

It’s one thing to bash elected officials or even newspaper competitors, but I am neither anymore. I am a private contractor who was washing dishes one day in the comfort of my own home when I was asked to make a presentation about designing a Web site for the county.

It took me several days to accept, and I almost turned it down simply because I knew the idiot who never takes notes, is late to every meeting – when he decides to show up – and publicly professes that he counts ceiling tiles while public business he supposedly is covering takes place would run me through his self-constructed mill. I had hoped his heart had softened a bit, but I was not that lucky.

Unfortunately, it is the people who read his crap that suffer the most. They get a false impression of good people.

I have only picked up his so-called publications about five times in the six years I have lived in Grant County. The last time I read his ridiculous column – riddled with grammatical errors, incomplete sentences and false accusations – he printed the statement, “I never claimed to be a writer.” Well, I should hope not!

I cringe at the thought that he would ever claim to be anything respectable, because he is not.

I’ve noticed one place that has stopped allowing him to sell his trash in their store. I hope others follow suit. I hope readers stop dropping quarters in his worn-out cottage cheese containers and spending good money to sort through his crazy maze of what he calls layout and design. My 7-year-old daughter has produced illustrated notes more coherent than that.

More than that, I hope he wakes up and realizes what an imbecile he is and that his actions not only affect the individuals he is out to get but also their families and friends.

It also affects how people – including outsiders – view our county when they get wind of his lies. I guess since he is from Kansas, he doesn’t care how others view our county. But I do, and if you’re from Grant County, you should, too.

I hope you will unite to put an end to his tyranny over Grant County. He won’t operate in the red. He’s too greedy for that.

Help me claim my inheritance!

2010-07-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

I remember the first time I realized the "Dead Bird Picture" was actually a picture of dead birds. I was in the fourth grade.

I had stared at that picture many times, wondering what it meant. I couldn't quite grasp it. The browns and grays and yellows swirled and mixed and faded into the heavy frame. The dim lighting of the living room only added more camouflage to the mirage. I strained my brain trying to unpuzzle its complexity. Why on earth would my parents hang such a smeary muck on the wall as decoration?

Then I got glasses.

I probably was wearing my yellow shorts jumpsuit the day I unriddled the mystery piece of artwork. I imagine I had on my brown knee-high socks with the little doggies embroidered at the top. My sister hated when I wore that outfit. It was my favorite. I have loads of photos in it from second grade, when it was a bit baggy, to fourth grade, when I had to let it fall in the “outgrown” pile.

I liked to stand on my head and watch TV, so I’m sure I was doing that in my yellow jumpsuit and new glasses. The “tortoise shell” frames were almost as thick as the lenses and were as big around as a Skoal can. My mom bought me some special gold letters, my initials, that I applied to the bottom corner of the right lens. I stuck them on myself, being careful to get them at just the right angle. They read “KLD” in cursive capital letters. I was so proud. What was more, I could see!

The leaves on the trees during that first ride home from the eye doctor looked as if someone had hit “Unsharp Mask” in Photoshop. Television took on a whole new meaning. I finally understood what the squiggly mark on all Laverne’s shirts actually meant. And then there was the dead bird picture.

I had stood on my head through a TBS rerun of The Beverly Hillbillies when I decided to take a break. Through several twists and turns, I flip-flopped over into a backbend, coming to a comfortable rest on my back facing the fireplace. I crossed my right ankle over my left knee as a sideward gravity pulled my gaze to what I had always seen as a puddle of blob in an old, ugly frame.

Today, however, the goopy mire looked different. It had points and some mild color – not much. It was still brown and dark and hard to decipher … but it looked different today, rigid. It had depth. I studied it. My mind wouldn’t let go of that murky image I’d grown up seeing inside the frame.

It was like looking deep into one of those Magic Eye conglomeration things. I love those things, but in 1984, they had not been invented, and not even George Orwell could have dreamed up something as horrifying as what I saw when that demented smudge of gloop came into focus that day.

The vision that would haunt me came one wretched feather at a time. I spotted a dull red flare, a beak, perhaps? An eye glistened, catching my attention. I was amazed at the detail. I scanned up and down, finding bird after bird. I went across from top to bottom – all birds. Limp heads. Why are their heads crooked? A basket, a cutting block … a brightly-colored linen? These birds are inside … a kitchen.

Man sakes alive! These … are … DEAD … BIRDS! EWWWWWWWWW!

I couldn’t believe my eyes. My new glasses had decoded the great befuddlement. What an awful sight it was!

I’m sure many of my friends saw it during birthday and slumber parties, but from that day forward, when anyone new entered the door, that picture was stashed promptly behind the green recliner. I’d leave it back there as long as I could, but mom would eventually notice the bare spot on the wall and put it back into its place.

I hated it growing up, but I love it now when I go home. It’s still in the same spot. I want to believe it will hang there forever, but I know it won’t. With age, time and a little humility, it has become my favorite … and I’d like to call dibs. ;-)

I really don’t think anyone else wants it. At least I’ve never heard anyone mention it. So, if you think I should be so privileged to inherit it, please click the like button, and I’ll let you know how it turns out.

'I can do everything through Him who gives me strength'

2010-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

It’s in this quietness I think the most. Amidst the loud hum of the computer tower and occasional pounce of the robust cat I ponder God’s plan for me. I know I am in the right place, but should I be moving? I feel like I am getting ready to be moved, like it or not.

My soul agitates my plans; back and forth, round and round they go, violently. I let God in on the action, and I know all will come out spotless, spanking clean, brilliant. He is my detergent, my lye, my poison against filth.

God a poison? Yes, a poison to those to whom the truth makes sick. Truth is not just sickening to them. It makes them physically ill because they don’t know the truth will set them free. They are not happy without turmoil. They are not happy. I will pray for them because I have been where they are. It is a dark place with little air and no room to move. It is a pit, cold and damp, slimy, enclosed, small. It hurts to be in that place. It lacks light.

I once lived in a tunnel where the only light was a pinhole a million miles away. It was so tiny yet so bright it hurt to look at it. It made more than just my eyes hurt; it made my whole body hurt, ache, cry. I didn’t like to cry. I didn’t cry for three years once. I sat through my baby’s funeral and didn’t shed a tear. In 1994, I cried for three days straight.

Maybe that kind of pain is the kind of pain my enemies feel? Everybody hurts. REM said so, so it must be true. I still hurt. I like to think I don’t take it out on others for silly reasons, but I know I do. My husband can attest to that.

I have no right to criticize anyone. I have fallen on more than one occasion. I have fallen hard just this month. I am ashamed of myself this month, to tell you the truth, so I have no room to judge others or how they feel. I do not, however, care to be on the receiving end of their bitterness. I suppose no one does.

I have tried to concentrate on other things and let God handle the rest, but I forget God doesn’t just handle things … until He’s asked. It never occurred to me to ask. I kept going to Scripture for advice and comfort – mostly for comfort, but I really feel God pushing me, today in particularly, to move.

Part of my daily readings today was Psalm 119:47: May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause …

I want to get into a giant spitting match with the arrogant who are pushing me to my limits. I have to keep reminding myself that God has no limits, and with Him on my side, neither do I, so I cannot be pushed to my limits. In that sense, I will NOT be moved. It’s hard not to lose my cool. I want to write about every despicable thing they’ve ever done or said to me and others. But it’s not about me. This is God’s plan here. There is a greater worth than me at stake. Humanity is at stake, somehow. Don’t ask me how. I’m just a cog in the wheel. I hope I don’t get rusty and fall off.

Just now, as I was typing, my e-mail alert went off, and I went immediately from this page to my inbox. Normally, I would ignore my e-mail in the middle of writing, but I did not hesitate today to check it. It was my Scripture of the Day … which generally arrives by 7:30 a.m. It is 11:13 a.m. right now. Guess who just sent me an e-mail. Here’s what He said: “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” - Matthew 7:24

In a prayer I said the day before yesterday, I thanked God for helping me establish a firm foundation.

Still think God doesn’t speak to us?

He speaks alright. Sometimes, it’s just very, very, very, very hard to hear Him. Sometimes, we aren’t listening, and sometimes, it’s just too darn loud. I have been in some very loud places lately, and I haven’t spent any quality time with God. I have paid the price. A Scripture I heard on the radio this morning alluded to that. I am now taking it to heart.

I know God knows what I’m going through. I know He is here. I have been relying on Him to solve my problems. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask Him what my roll might be in all this junk I like to call “ridiculousness.” I thought sitting by quietly, humbly would do the trick. Maybe I’ve been sitting by idly instead? Big difference. Of the Bible passages I’ve read so far, I don’t recall God ever letting anyone just sit around and do nothing while He fixes all the problems. I have yet to read about the guy who asks God to handle all the dirty work while he eats grapes underneath the fans of a dozen faithful, beautiful maidservants.

Duh.

I am praying now for God to lay out His plan for me, so I can roll up my sleeves and get to work. I am in this situation for a reason. God has revealed part of that reason to me time and time again. I’m just not sure what He wants me to do with the part to which I’m privy. I do know I’m going to have to put away my pride in order to make it work according to His plan and not mine.

So where do I start, Lord? Here, I guess. Here I am. I know You have led me here for a reason, God, and I know, if I follow your path, You will gain all the praise, and I will gain Your Heavenly Glory. That is the treasure I am seeking. Even that feels selfish in my earthly flesh, but I seek your face, God, your bright, beautiful, ever-glowing face. I know you have set me on this earth to shine a light – Your Light – into the darkest places, into every corner. Show me those corners, Lord, and help me fill them up. Amen.

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.” – Ephesians 5:11-14

Congratulations to one of Oklahoma's finest journalists!

2010-06-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Publishing five community newspapers definitely deserves some kind of award! There is none more deserving than Jeff Mayo.

http://www.nnaweb.org/?%2Fnnaweb%2Fnnanews02%2F1594%2F

NWOSU gains not-so-good national attention

2010-06-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

Northwestern Oklahoma State University's claim that a federal privacy law prohibits it from disclosing which students receive scholarships funded by Alva's sales taxes is another example of why the statute is "broken," said the executive director of the Student Press Law Center.

To read the full posting: http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/06/nwosus-ferpa-claim-for-secrecy-garners.html

NWOSU cries FERPA for scholarship recipients

2010-06-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

An Alva city councilman last week questioned the claim by Northwestern Oklahoma State University officials that a federal privacy law prohibits them from disclosing which students receive scholarships funded by the city's sales taxes, The Alva Review-Courier reported Sunday.

NWOSU officials had provided the names for the past decade under a 1999 agreement with the city.

NWOSU also requires students receiving the scholarships to sign a FERPA form permitting the school to notify their hometown newspapers, reported Helen Barrett of The Alva Review-Courier and an FOI Oklahoma board member.

The Alva city attorney -- who is married to the NWOSU president -- told the councilman he could cited for violating a federal law if he gave the list to folks not on the Council.

The blog posting explains why FERPA wouldn't seem to apply.

http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/06/nwosu-claims-ferpa-prohibits-disclosure.html

The next excuse for denying access to government records?

2010-06-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

The next excuse for denying access to government records?

The Lawrence city payroll, obtained by the Boston Herald under the state public records law after a two-month battle, was delayed while officials made sure no “enemies” were behind the request.

City Attorney Charles D. Boddy Jr. said he was “sitting on and forgetting about” the Herald’s request for weeks while he studied the paper trail.

Lawrence has “a lot of enemies,” he said, and must take its time probing every request.

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20100518city_blames_delay_of_records_release_on_enemies/

Terrill sneaks in "dangerous and wrong" language

2010-05-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Legislators Thursday approved a Senate bill intended to improve the state medical examiner's office but that also would restrict public access to autopsy reports because of last-minute language added by Rep. Randy Terrill, reported The Oklahoman this morning.

For details and a link to the story: http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/05/terrill-sneaks-in-dangerous-and-wrong.html

In response (by Mark Thomas): I read the bill several times. The language has been out there for quite a while. I think Terrill is correct; it only says the ME doesn't have to release partial or incomplete details of an autopsy - even to DA's or Law Enforcement! The language simply looked like statutory construction language and not any attempt to close anything.

The bill also has language that the ME's office will always be independent from any other state agency (not under control of law enforcement) and that they can contract with third party vendors "except OSBI" without the express consent of the legislature.

The ME's office needed a total makeover and this bill was an honest attempt to do that, in my opinion.

Mark Thomas
Executive Vice President
Oklahoma Press Association

My former college cries FERPA

2010-05-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have a semester under my belt at this very college.

(From FOI Oklahoma -- Thought this would be of interest given our universities' broad reliance on FERPA for denying records.)
WYOMING--A Wyoming judge ruled Tuesday to dissolve a temporary restraining order against the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and the Cheyenne Herald that prevented the newspapers from publishing a leaked report concerning the president at Laramie County Community College.

On April 12, the college initially denied the Tribune Eagle access to the report based on a claim that disclosure would violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. On May 21, the Tribune Eagle, through an anonymous source, received a copy of the report, which contains information regarding President Darrel Hammon's conduct while chaperoning a 2008 student trip to Costa Rica.

The lawyers representing the college maintained that since the report also contains student names, releasing any information pertaining to the report would violate provisions of FERPA and put the school in danger of losing all U.S. Department of Education funding, according to the court order.

In his Tuesday ruling, the judge said that there was no substantial evidence to show that publication of the material would be a violation of FERPA jeopardizing the college's federal funding.

"It's disturbing that a college would hide behind a bogus claim of confidentiality to conceal unflattering information. FERPA is about having an effective confidentiality policy -- the department [of education] is not going to shut down an entire college for a single disclosure," said Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center.

"It's somewhat frustrating for me that the college would go through this much effort to withhold information that clearly in my mind belongs to the public domain. That they would go to these kinds of measures to withhold this report is particularly concerning."

Tribune Eagle executive editor Reed Eckhardt said: "It's somewhat frustrating for me that the college would go through this much effort to withhold information that clearly in my mind belongs to the public domain. That they would go to these kinds of measures to withhold this report is particularly concerning."

For the full story: http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=2093

A new way to get Grant County news

2010-05-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Grant County is working on a new and better way for citizens to get Grant County news! For now, the county will utilize the District 2 Web site to release news stories regarding commission meetings, projects, staff, etc. However, in the near future, the county will have its own Web site to publicize county business.

Much more to come. This is just the beginning of what could be a great asset to Grant County folks! I'm excited to be part of these exciting new changes!

Please check out the District 2 Web site to get just a taste (a very, very small taste) of what the future will look like: http://www.grantdistrict2.com/index.htm

A good woman to have on our side

2010-05-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

(The following is Helen Barrett's e-mail exchange with Rep. Randy Terrill over the DOB issue. Helen is a news editor/reporter for the Alva Review-Courier and a member of the FOI Oklahoma Inc. board of directors.)

Helen caught a little flak from OPA Executive Vice President Mark Thomas for sending the e-mail, but someone needed to say something. If we know these legislators on a personal level, it is our responsibility to call on each of them as real people would - not give them a candy-coated plea that gets lost in the shuffle.

Helen refers to Jeff Hickman, one of our local reps and a former schoolmate of mine, who I would not hesitate in writing in similar fashion if he relentlessly advocated the stifling of the people's right to know.

Terrill's cocky and disgusting reply follows Helen's e-mail. As one member of FOI Oklahoma put it: "To me, this response shows a lack of respect for the way our system works: He (Terrill) works for us, not the other way around." Amen.

And thank you, Helen, for your backbone, your fiery passion and your willingness to trample on those egg shells often surrounding our political forces.

Here is Helen's e-mail:

Randy,

I'm really saddened that you have any connection to Alva. This birth date bill you keep pushing is bad and you should know it. It's been proven time and again that having an employee's birthdate is not a tool of identity theft. You used to be smart and I would think you could figure that out for yourself.

Is the Oklahoma Employees Association paying you to promote this bill? That's the only reason I can think of why you would carry it, given you financial problems of the past. Really, is it worth risking the hiring of a questionable state employee to work with our children just for a few dollars in your campaign coffer?

I'm really disappointed in your legislative record. Your bigotry toward Mexicans is obvious. Your integrity is questionable since you always sneak these issues in on the back of some other bill that is important in order to get it passed.

We will claim Jeff Hickman and Randy McDaniel, but no longer will we include your name when talking about legislators from Alva.

Helen Barrett

...

Helen:

You are free to agree or disagree with me, that is your right. But, the fact that you would send such an email to anyone to is appalling and unconscionable.

For the Republic,
RT
Rep. Randy Terrill

House District 53

Afterwards, Ryan McNeill (FOI Oklahoma member), sent out the following update:

At risk of sounding like Paul Monies' publicity agent, everyone should read his posting on how Oklahoma will make millions more selling drivers license data.

http://blog.newsok.com/datawatch/2010/05/27/state-poised-to-make-millions-more-selling-drivers-license-data/

What's outrageous about this is not only are they continuing to sell it as Terrill continues his obsessive "for the republic" campaign to ban release of the same information about government workers, but they're going to INCREASE THE PRICE to help close the budget deficit. This is stunning hypocrisy.

For the Republic,

mcneill.......
--
Ryan McNeill

Spending records will go online

2010-05-26T13:27:00.001-07:00

In the final votes required for both bills, state senators unanimously agreed Tuesday to put online the details of state spending and tax credits while House members approved posting school spending on the Internet.

For details: http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/05/legislators-approve-government.html

A moving 'memorial day'

2010-05-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Received this e-mail from Jennifer Gilliland at OPA today about a story written by one of Oklahoma's finest professors, who not only has been my mentor but also my friend:

Dr. Terry Clark recently accompanied the Oklahoma Honor Flight when it took 99 World War II veterans to visit the WWII monument in Washington, DC.

(Below) is the story Terry wrote about the trip. Group photos of the trip are available at http://okpress.com/vetpics. Unfortunately, we don't have names for those in the group shots.

By Terry M. Clark, Journalism Professor at the University of Central Oklahoma

Ninety-nine World War II vets from across Oklahoma left on a chartered jet by the dawn’s early light for a one-day whirlwind tour of war memorials in Washington D.C. on May 17.

They were guests of the inaugural Oklahoma Honor Flight organized by volunteers in Midwest City to honor them.

They toured the World War II Memorial, the Marine statue of the flag raising at Iwo Jima and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The stories that should be told are endless. There were survivors of the Battle of the Bulge and Pearl Harbor, former POWs, Purple Hearts and men who witnessed the flag raising on Iwo Jima. Oldest vet along was a 94-year-old Tulsan.

Then they flew home, arriving at the Air National Guard hangars at Will Rogers World Airport at 10:30 p.m.

Starting last fall, the group raised $95,000 to cover all expenses and it’s making plans for more flights, including one in October. Chairman Steve Coleman of Midwest City said there were another 230 World War II vets from Oklahoma on waiting lists.

There were about 200 people on the jet, as each veteran who needed help had an assigned guardian. In addition, Oklahoma Press Association was represented, and Channels 2 and 8 of Tulsa and OETA.

Each of the vets wore a light blue T-shirt with the Honor Flight logo. Guardians had red T-shirts. All had blue caps with American flags.

The celebrations began the Sunday before the trip with a reception and ceremony at the Reed Convention Center in Midwest City attended by more than 500 people, including the vets.

The vets marched into the reception hall to the cadence of a military drum and the standing ovation of the crowd. The Governors Honor Guard presented the colors. Master of Ceremonies was Rep. Gary Banz of Midwest City, a former government teacher who helped organize the events.

Each vet was presented a copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Then in came the school children of the Mid-Del district with commemorative coins for the vets, exchanging them for the copies of the American documents. The school kids raised $25,000 of the total project cost.

Keynote speaker was Lt. Gen. Loren Reno, former commandant at Tinker Air Force Base. The vets spent the night at an adjacent hotel and were up by 3:30 a.m. for the mile-long escorted bus convoy to the airport. Before leaving the hotel each bus passed under an arch formed by the Del City fire truck ladders, a salute from the firemen. Highway Patrol motorcycles and police cars, lights flashing in the darkness, led the buses to the airport where uniformed members of the Air National Guard met the vets.

After making their way through a makeshift security scan set up by TSA, service men and women helped each vet on the tarmac up the stairs to the waiting jet.

The jet began moving as the sun came up, with the uniformed military standing at attention and saluting. Base fire trucks sprayed the plane with water.

Two-and-a-half hours later the jet landed in Baltimore and a group crew of volunteers were there to welcome the vets with cheers and smiles and help them onto buses for the ride to Washington.

It was drizzling but it didn’t dampen the crowd getting off the buses. Wearing provided rain slickers, with several vets in wheelchairs, they toured the World War II Memorial, congregating at the Oklahoma pillar and taking in the newest of Washington’s monuments. The American flag, with the black POW-MIA flag, flew nearby.

Honor flights began in Ohio about five years ago and the idea has spread. Oklahoma is the 31st state to have the program. So far, about 40,000 vets have made the trip. The priority is to get any World War II vet who is able to get on a jet to see the memorials. Only about three million World War II vets are still alive. Those vets are in their 80s and 90s, and time is taking the toll that the Japanese and Germans didn’t in World War II. Eventually, the priority will shift to Korean vets and then Vietnam.

Before they landed back in Oklahoma, each veteran answered “Mail Call,” with a packet of about a dozen letters. One was from the vet’s representative. The rest were from the school children, handwritten notes thanking them for their service. At the airport, the Air Force was again waiting to help them off the plane, and flag waving family members also were there.

The Oklahoma program began when a Midwest City veteran, Al Willoughby, USAF-Ret., went to Texas to take part in an Honor Flight. When he came home and told the Midwest City Rotary about it, his fellow Rotarians started work, wanting a program for Oklahoma veterans.

For more information — http://www.oklahomahonorflights.org/

Terrill determined to prevent public access

2010-05-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Rep. Randy Terrill on Tuesday added language preventing public access to government workers' birth dates and employee identification numbers to the conference committee version of the Omnibus Corrections bill.

For details: http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/05/rep-randy-terrill-tries-again-to-stop.html

DOB bill as persistent as Phoenix

2010-05-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

It looks like the effort to make public employee DOBs confidential has been resurrected, this time as part of the DPS dash cam bill, HB 3382.

Tulsa World story:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspxsubjectid=12&articleid=20100520_16_A11_OKLAHO230732

DataWatch blog http://bit.ly/biiEZS

Benefit dinner for fire chief and family

2010-05-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Please join the Deer Creek Fire Department in helping Chief Benito Gonzales, who recently lost his wife, Maria, to cancer. Proceeds will help with medical bills and funeral expenses.

Benefit Lunch for the family of Maria Gonzales. Sunday, May 23rd, Noon--?, at Christ's Church (former Mennonite Church Building), Deer Creek.

There will also be a silent auction of many donated items with all money going to the Gonzales family as well.

Sponsored by the Deer Creek Fire Dept

Don't like Oklahoma's new license plate? You may be all alone

2010-05-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) has honored the new Oklahoma license plate with the Best Plate Award for new plates first issued in 2009. This is the third time Oklahoma has won this award since its inception in 1970, which means the state joins only three other states to have won three times.

Members of the Association, along with ALPCA President Jeff Francis, were at the state capitol today to present a plaque for the Best Plate Award to officials who spearheaded the redesign efforts, including key legislators, the Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.

“We are pleased to be recognized with this award,” said Hardy Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. “Our agency seeks to promote Oklahoma and brand our state in a way that is modern, yet respectful of our heritage with every opportunity we’re given, including the official license plate. This award affirms a vote by the people of Oklahoma who chose Sacred Rain Arrow over other choices as our new license plate design.”

The Oklahoma plate was chosen by popular vote of the ALPCA’s 3,000 international members from among eight other plates including the new Texas plate. The criteria for judging include the legibility and attractiveness of the plate. The Oklahoma plate narrowly won by a margin of four votes over the new general issue Ohio license plate.

“The Sacred Rain Arrow is symbolic of Oklahoma’s American Indian heritage and while voting, our members specifically noted the striking beauty and clean, legible design of the plate,” said Jeff Francis, president, Automobile License Plate Collectors Association.

The other seven plates each received substantially fewer votes than these two competitors. The Oklahoma plate was nominated by Gus Oliver, an 11-year member of ALPCA. Oliver is a Realtor and reserve police officer in Tulsa. Oliver was also actively involved in promoting passage of the legislation to replace Oklahoma’s aging plates. After legislators were shown photos Oliver had taken of some of the worn out plates, they were convinced of the need for new plates.

Oklahoma license plate designs have a successful history with the ALPCA. Oklahoma tied for first in 1989 with the general issue plate and also won in 2004 with the State Park Pavilion specialty plate. The Agricultural Awareness plate came in second place in 2001 as did the Urban Forestry plate in 2006. No other state has consistently placed so highly in ALPCA’s contest.

For more information about ALPCA, visit their website at http://www.alpca.org/.

The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) is working to advance the exceptional quality of life in Oklahoma by preserving, maintaining, and promoting our natural assets and cultural richness. The department is the steward of the state park system and also promotes Oklahoma as a travel destination through many award-winning programs. To learn more about Oklahoma’s unique events and attractions, please visit http://www.travelok.com/ or follow us at Facebook.com/TravelOK or Twitter.com/OklahomaTourism.

Oklahoman: traffic tickets just part of getting an education

2010-05-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

OU and OSU officials are defying common sense by claiming that parking tickets issued to students are confidential educational records, The Oklahoman said in an editorial Saturday.

"The federal law was designed to protect students’ academic records, not such things as tickets issued to students for parking in the faculty lot," the newspaper said.

For background and a link to the editorial, read: http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/05/newspaper-criticizes-ou-osu-for-keeping.html

'Stiff opposition' kills autopsy bill

2010-05-18T08:03:00.001-07:00

State legislators won't be voting again this session on a bill that would have restricted access to portions of homicide autopsy reports.

Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Tuttle, pulled HB 3155 because of stiff opposition on the House floor, The Oklahoman reported today.

For background and the story link, read: http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/05/legislator-withdraws-bill-restricting.html

Thank you to Mark Thomas for successfully fighting this bill.

Let the summer games begin

2010-05-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

Graduation is over. Summer vacation has begun. Maybe I can get back to the blog now. I’m so far behind on posting my Bible readings, I’m not even going to try.

What will the summer hold? Who knows. For now, I have three trips to Boiling Springs Christian Service Camp planned.

I will go with Justine on my birthday (June 5) to a one-day camp for first- and second-graders. I’ll spend the week of June 20-25 with the seventh- and eighth-graders, and I’ll go once again June 27-30 with Jaynee for the second- and third-grade camp.

I’ll come home for one night from the junior high camp to watch the SALTeens performance at the high school. SALTeens is a teen worship group sponsored by Dallas Christian College. Joseph and Matt toured with them last year and will attend again this year. The group of about 40 has increased to a group of about 80, so we are looking for homes and beds and FOOD for all these teenagers we are so excited and privileged to have visit our county. Matt’s mom is handling all the details – THANK GOODNESS! THANKS, ANNETTE!!!

Sometime this summer, we plan on visiting Jeromy’s mom in Colorado, and hopefully, we’ll head back to Colorado at the end of July for HeavenFest. I’ll go back to school in August to begin earning my master’s degree.

I have a couple “jobs” lined up for the summer. I don’t have the details worked out yet, but I am working with District 2 County Commissioner Cindy Bobbitt to provide better and more accurate coverage of county meetings.

Apparently, our local paper publisher remains an embarrassment to the newspaper industry, providing biased and inaccurate coverage of county meetings.

His pitiful approach to journalism is one reason I stopped publishing the NCR. I know that’s sounds backwards. One would think I would have fought harder to publish the truth since he is obviously against publishing the truth, but his lies and schemes had the opposite effect on me. I got tired of the childish games played by him and certain elected officials (who will not be getting any votes from me during the next election period).

I had no desire to sit in a room week after week with adults who acted like third-graders. I am not lumping the commissioners in this category. Grant County has excellent commissioners. I couldn’t always tell the tales of what REALLY happens during county meetings – sometimes pretty pathetic, trivial and a complete waste of energy – when I had the newspaper, but I don’t have the paper anymore … and I no longer have to compete with a fraudulent tabloid and the blatant lies Ken Kiser has the audacity to print. The publishers at the Enquirer have more morals than my former competitor.

I may also be submitting some personal columns to The Border, published in Arkansas City, Kan., by the Ark City Traveler. These are the guys who so graciously printed the NCR for a couple years.

I’ll let you know if/when anything happens with either of these opportunities. Until then, I have dishes to wash, bills to pay and kids to hang out with. Summer is here! :)

Hawley has new emergency number!

2010-04-19T15:09:00.001-07:00

The Hawley Fire Department has a new Emergency Contact phone number. Anyone needing emergency assistance from Hawley Fire should dial 839-2323. This number will ring their Firefighters and they will immediately respond to your need. Their old contact phone number 839-2828 will continue to ring the Nash Fire Department and should be used by those in the Nash area.

The Hawley Fire response area is basically north of the Salt Fork River, west of Red Hill Road, south of Highway 11 to the Alfalfa County Line. The Hawley Fire Department has 18 firefighters who have been trained in fire fighting, first aid and rescue situations. They also have 5 EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technicians) with additional training in emergency medical care. The department has 3 brush rigs, one pumper and one tanker. In addition they have a complete assortment of rescue equipment including the “jaws of life” along with basic First Aid equipment and supplies such as Oxygen and an ‘AED’ (Automatic Externally Defibrillator) for heart attack victims.

One can also notify the Hawley Fire Department by dialing “911” and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office will notify us of your call. Vinyl stickers are available at the Fire Station to place on your phone with our new number of 839-2323.

OU's 'Routes' now on the web

2010-04-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you remember a past post about my visit to OU. While there, I was privileged to get to sit in and vote on the making of history - the university's first webzine. We got to vote on our top three choices for the name of the web site, and one of my choices - Routes - was chosen. (Not my suggestion. I just voted on it. I also liked Zoomer and something else, but without looking, I can't recall.)

Anyway, just got a press release that the site if finished and up and running. Here's the press release and a link to the new site. :) Enjoy!

NORMAN, Okla.- The University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication’s revolutionary new Web magazine Routes will launch to coincide with a major immigration conference to be held at the college April 10-16, 2010.

The “Immigration in the Heartland” conference is sponsored by the Institute for Justice and Journalism in conjunction with Gaylord College’s Institute for Research and Training.

To better integrate with the conference, Routes’ first major issue will cover the theme of immigration, specifically as it relates to Oklahoma. This first issue will mark the launch of Oklahoma’s only interactive, Web-based, student-produced magazine that’s all about Oklahoma. This publication provides an outlet for the very best work of Gaylord College students.

“We want Oklahoma to realize the breadth and quality of instruction here at Gaylord College. These students are highly qualified, superbly trained people at the top of their game,” said John Schmeltzer, Pulitzer Prize winning faculty adviser to Routes.

Additional information on Routes will be available at the conference, and students who have written for Routes will be participating in panels during the conference.

“We have a lot of different people working on this so there will be a different perspective than what’s been out there,” said student panelist and Routes contributor Hailey Branson. “I think there will be some stories told that wouldn’t be otherwise.”

For more information about Routes please visit the Web site, http://routes.ou.edu/, or contact Candice Hudson at candice.c.hudson-1@ou.edu.

Running into the past in the future

2010-04-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

As I was uploading photos from our March mission trip, I started looking at other photos in my “Picture” folder. Most are personal family photos, but I have a few from the newspaper.

This top photo is perhaps my favorite photo of any I’ve ever taken. The set, plus one more that for some reason I didn’t keep on file, won me a first-place Photo Essay award in 2008 from the Society of Professional Journalists. :)

The soldier saluting in the background is the brother of the deceased. The two were fellow Marines.

The next photo is of his parents, his mother clutching the American flag after it was handed to her by a soldier helping to bury her son.

Ironically, the soldier being laid to rest is the nephew of former FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh. At the time of the funeral, I was asking, “Joe who?” But just a few months later, old Joe would become one of the key figures in several stories I researched and wrote about the cleanup (or lack thereof) of the Blackwell smelter.

I don’t think Joe attended his nephew’s funeral, but wouldn’t it be something if there I was, standing just feet away from the man himself?

Now, I’m listening to the OKC bombing memorial service, and I can’t help but think of another virtual “run-in” with the un-decent.

My first job out of college was at the Junction City Daily Union in Junction City, Kan. My first house I lived in when I moved there was in White City, just a few miles up the road from Herrington, Kan. – home to Terry Nichols, friend and cohort of Timothy McVeigh.

When I moved, I rented a Ryder truck, of course, and returned it to Eldon’s Body Shop, where all Ryder trucks – including the one McVeigh used in the bombing – are rented in Junction City, Kan.

That was eerie. A few weeks later, seeing the dumpy hotel room he stayed in the night before he rented the truck was too.

I worked with a creepy guy who took a job at the newspaper just to see these “landmarks” for which, unfortunately, Junction City gained worldwide recognition.

Despite McVeigh’s unseemly influence on the city, the job at the Daily Union was probably my favorite to date. And I fell in love with Junction City and the people there. I only left because I missed Oklahoma. That seems to happen every time I get away from home.

Readings:

Mark 4:1-20

1 Corinthians 7:17-40

Psalm 80

Joshua 22, 23

Mark 4:21-41

1 Corinthians 8

Psalm 81

Joshua 24

Bill may limit access to autopsy files

2010-04-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

A bill limiting what the public may know from autopsy files involving homicides and cases in which the manner of death is either pending or unknown was unanimously approved by state senators on Thursday.

But the press and public have used autopsy reports elsewhere to uncover incompetency and corruption by police, medical examiners and coroners.

For example:

The FBI recently began investigating three post-Katrina police shootings in New Orleans because of a series published by ProPublica and others. Two experts said an autopsy report raised questions about one of the fatal shootings and its circumstances. One of the experts called the New Orleans coroner’s forensic work in the case “incomplete at best.”

For the full posting: http://foioklahoma.blogspot.com/2010/04/autopsy-reports-used-to-reveal.html