Missourinet

Odd But True ... Maybe

In my quarter century in this business I have seen my share of strange stories.  In fact, I collect "odd but true" stories from the heart of America for a weekly show I do on Canadian radio.  But for the purposes of this blog, we'll stick with strange stories from the Show-Me State.  And we certainly had one this week.

One of the oddest stories that came to the Missourinet this week involved Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo and PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  PETA wants the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to revoke the accreditation of Dickerson Park Zoo, with PETA claiming it had learned zoo animals had been transferred to two dealers – and that one of those dealers has connections to hunting ranches.

Dickerson's response was to the point: "Dickerson Park Zoo is once again the target of an unsubstantiated attack by a fringe animal extremist group."

PETA claims the zoo has sold giraffes, red kangaroos, a red-necked wallaby, and a greater kudu to a number of facilities after the animals got older and were not "cute" any longer.  Dickerson officials insist the claim that these animals were sent to shooting ranches is simply not true.

As an animal lover I don't want to open the door to PETA or animal rights groups e-mailing to complain that I am treating this lightly … because I am not taking it lightly.  But it is difficult for me to picture anything more bizarre than someone hunting a giraffe … or a kangaroo (let alone a red one) … or a wallaby … or even a greater kudu.

Most of the hunters I know enjoy the hunt and the kill … but they only go after animals they intend to eat.  I have never heard of anyone eating giraffe meat … or red kangaroo meat … or wallaby meat (though I've worn wallaby shoes) … or greater kudu meat.  What would it taste like?  (Don't anyone say "chicken.")

What we have is a classic "he said, he said" situation and we don't really know whether there is any truth to PETA's allegations.  Whatever the truth is … the very thought of hunters in camouflage garb slinking through the woods looking for big game giraffe … or big game kangaroo … or big game wallaby … or big game greater kudu is one of the oddest thoughts I have conjured up all week … and this is the week that saw the first day of filing by candidates for the August 5^th Primary voting!

By the way … in case you don't know … and I'll bet you don't … a greater kudu is a large African antelope.  Be honest … you had no idea, did you?

- Steve Walsh

Letting Us Know What They Think

One of the great pleasures of working at the Missourinet (or in any newsroom, for that matter) is the constant flow of e-mail from all kinds of groups wanting to let members of the media know what's on their collective minds.  And, they're not shy to react to just about any event that's being talked about in the news.

Some of these reactions are clever and biting ... others are just biting ... still others are respectful ... then there are even more that are humorous.  It's a couple of examples of the latter two that I want to point to as being among the reactions we received regarding the death of conservative icon William F. Buckley Junior.

First ... the respectful.  Missouri Political News Service has sent us its regular e-mail with links to political stories from throughout the state, including a link to comments from former Senator Jim Talent on the death of Buckley:

“Next to Ronald Reagan, Bill Buckley was more responsible for the rise of conservatism in this country than anyone else — and that’s a very considered statement,” former Sen. Jim Talent (R., Mo.) told National Review Online on Wednesday. “He taught what conservatism was about. He did it with an élan, a humor, and a boldness that itself was an enormous example. He changed the psychological approach to politics that conservatives had.”

Then comes the humorous.  There's no Missouri connection to this one ... but I'm including it because it's humorous and - as I have explained before - I have an oblique sense of humor.  It's conservative flame thrower Ann Coulter's weekly newsletter in which she writes of some of the notable comments made by Buckley:

"Some of Buckley's best lines were uttered in court during a lengthy libel trial in the '80s against National Review brought by the Liberty Lobby, which was then countersued by National Review. (The Liberty Lobby lost and NR won.)

Irritated by attorney Mark Lane's questions, Buckley asked the judge: "Your Honor, when he asks a ludicrous question, how am I supposed to behave?"

In response to another of Lane's questions, Buckley said: "I decline to answer that question; it's too stupid."

I'm guessing that any reporter who has had to sit through lengthy court cases that seem to drag on and on and on would get a good snicker out of that.  Not that anyone would suggest a lawyer - and there are plenty of them walking the halls of the State Capitol - would ask silly, time consuming, seemingly irrelevant questions during trials.  But let's be honest ... It is funny.

- Steve Walsh

Ain't This Democracy Thing Great?

They came to Jefferson City from all corners of the state on Day One of filing for those who want their names on the August 5th Primary ballot.  By day's end more than 300 people had completed the paperwork.  There's room for many more as filing does not close until March 25th, but Opening Day always has a carnival-type atmosphere to it.  In fact, members of the League of Women Voters were in the lobby of the Kirkpatrick Building - which houses the Secretary of State's Office - providing coffee and goodies.

Most of the "big guns" came out on Opening Day: Gubernatorial candidates Kenny Hulshof, Jay Nixon, and Sarah Steelman ... Lieutenant Governor candidates Peter Kinder and Sam Page ... Attorney General candidates Mike Gibbons, Chris Koster, Margaret Donnelly, and Jeff Harris ... and so on.

But there were more than a few of what we might call the lesser known individuals who paid their filing fees with the Democrat, Republican, or LIbertarian Parties and showed up to file ... along with the big names.  I'm talking about people like Joe Sadeghi of Marshall who is running for the 21st District State Senate seat, Keri Cottrell of Canton who is going after the House seat in District 1, Bob Pund of Columbia who is contesting the House seat in District 25, Joe Palm of St. Louis going after the House seat in District 57, and Deb Lavender of Kirkwood putting her name in the mix for the House seat in the 94th District.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan not only filed for her own reelection, but was on hand throughout the day to personally greet many of the candidates filing.  Many of these people were officeholders who already know Robin ... but the folks who don't know Robin thought it was great that they were being greeted by Missouri's Secretary of State.  In fact, as the day neared its end and the long line of candidates had dwindled to a precious few, I watched as a man got off the elevator, looked both left and right to try to determine where he should go ... and he was met by Robin who introduced herself and showed the man where he needed to go next.  Boy ... That's service!

Of course, the day was not without its humorous moments - and the best of those moments might have come at the very start of the day.  Missourinet's Brent Martin was on the spot and tells it best:

"There are times we as journalists believe we have seen and heard it all. A moment passes in our careers when experience overcomes naïve enthusiasm. Then, something happens to remind us that the news stories we are covering aren't just the same story with different actors rehashing the same lines over and over.

I have been a reporter for more than 20 years and have been with the Missourinet for more than 12. I have covered the first day of filing at the Secretary of State's office throughout my career at the 'net. It is tradition that reporters interview the first person in line and write a feature on him or her. Those stories have actually turned into pretty good perspective pieces on the aspirations of candidates and the hope that always springs from the first day of filing. (I remember interviewing Rep. Ryan Silvey when he was first in line a few years ago, looking all of 16 or 17 years old. He now is a veteran member of the Missouri House, though he still looks like he's barely drinking age.)

This year, I encountered an answer to the most traditional of questions of the first-person-in-line unlike any I have ever experienced. I won't try to describe it, just listen to the link to a brief portion of my interview with Richard Kline of Gypsy, a Republican candidate for governor who got up early, drove from southeast Missouri to  Jefferson City to be the first one to file for office for the August primary."

Download 2sick.MP3

Our intern had the privilege of following Representative (R-114) Bill Deeken as he filed.  Here's the video he put together.

This democracy thing ... It really is great!

- Steve Walsh

Filing Time is Here Again ...

Well ... the wait is just about over.  We've heard quite a bit from people who are thinking of running for statewide political offices like Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Attorney General ... And we've heard from many people thinking of running for State Senator or State Representative ... And we've heard from a lot of people talking about going after the 9th District Congressional seat that Congressman Kenny Hulshof is giving up to run for Governor. 

Now it's time for the rubber to meet the road.  Candidates or would-be candidates for these seats and the other eight Congressional seats must file papers at the Secretary of State's Office in Jefferson City.  All must file in person ... except for those with physical disabilities and those who are on active duty with the U.S. military.

The filing begins at 8 o'clock Tuesday morning and Ryan Hobart with the Secretary of State's Office expects to see about 350 candidates filing on the first day.  That estimate is based on other years in which a presidential election is being held.

Of course, there is no need to file on "opening day."  It's a little like the old days (the 1970s) when people like me, who were teenagers at the time, slept on sidewalks outside rock concert venues to be as close to first in line as possible to buy tickets to a big show.  We were tough!

Eventually, companies like TicketMaster and other huge ticket vendors ended up selling the tickets at various outlets throughout the country.  Now, tickets are routinely bought online ... so there is no need to line up outside the arena, anymore.  And, while there was a time that candidates waited outside the Secretary of State's Office in a bid to be first to file, that really doesn't do anyone any good these days.  Anyone filing on the first day will draw a number to determine the order of names on the ballot.  So, you can wait outside all night or show up at ten minutes before closing time on opening day and the chances are about the same. 

Why does ballot order matter?  According to many of those who claim to be in the know ... In an election in which voters do not know one candidate from another, many voters will opt for for either the first name on the list ... or the last name.  Other "experts" say that's nonsense.  Time will tell.  Filing runs through March 25th.

- Steve Walsh

When is a Story Not a Story?

It has been said that Thursday's New York Times story suggesting a romantic link between presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and a Capitol Hill lobbyist might lead to conversations in newsrooms throughout the country as to what constitutes a news story.  It certainly led to one at "The Old Gray Lady" as the newspaper's ombudsman wrote a piece siding with those who were critical of the story for stating allegations without proof.

We had the conversation in the Missourinet newsroom, with News Director Bob Priddy saying we look at each story that comes in and determine, on the merits, whether it is something we would broadcast or pursue.  Managing Editor Brent Martin added it is important when looking at a story to determine whether there is any "there" there.  In essence, is something that comes across our desks a story simply because it was sent to us or must there be a reason to add it to the story rotation?

The question of what constitutes a story goes beyond journalistic exercise.  These are decisions we must confront from time to time.  Since I came to the Missourinet in 2000, we have had a number of "stories" and "leads" fed to us.  From my own experience (and I dare say the experiences of other journalists) people who feed us these stories are not doing it out of some desire to further journalistic integrity.  More often than not they are doing it to serve their own ends ... to make someone look bad ... to get back at somebody ... that kind of thing.  Don't get me wrong ... selfish reasons should not lead to dismissal of the story.  After all, sometimes the best sources are people who feel they have been "done wrong."  But the journalist must ask himself - and the source - why the source is revealing this information now.

I can think of two "who cares?" stories fed to the Missourinet since I climbed on board eight years ago.  One of them, a number of years ago, involved a State Senate candidate who was allegedly involved in what might best be described as "an inappropriate relationship."  Other people around town knew about it and, while there might have been plenty of gossip, I do not recall anyone in the mainstream media reporting on it. The second came to me this year and involved what Bob Priddy and I determined to be an inconsequential effort by a candidate in a State Senate race to discredit an opponent.

The bottom line is that we take what we do seriously and won't run a story just because information is given to us.  As Brent Martin would ask, "Is there any "there" there?"  Or, as I would put it, "Just because something might be true does not make it a story."

- Steve Walsh

MPA / AP Day at the Capitol

I've run into a number of readers of this blog who expressed surprise that I was such a NASCAR fan.  I'm not.  I explained to these individuals that it just so happens I have written NASCAR-related stories in recent days.  I added one of the few things I know about NASCAR is that the cars go counter-clockwise.  I then assured these people that after mentioning NASCAR three blogs in a row ... there will be no mention of NASCAR in my next entry.  Of course ... that's not true, is it?  Because by mentioning that I will not mention it ... I have actually mentioned it ... I digress!  Let's move onto other things.

Thursday was Missouri Press Association and The Associated Press Day at the Capitol.  Journalists from throughout the state converged on Jefferson City to hear from statewide elected officials (all except Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder who was unable to attend due to the bad weather) and a guy who wants to be a statewide elected official - Congressman Kenny Hulshof who is running for Governor.

The day began at the State Capitol ... with the gang later walking the short distance to the Governor's Mansion for lunch.  Young Branch was there, dressed in his pirate outfit - complete with sword.  Don't worry, it wasn't sharp ... it was a Blunt sword (I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.)  Anyway, a good time was had by all.  It's one of the fun days during the legislative session when you get the chance to renew old acquaintances with other reporters from elsewhere in the state and swap tall tales.  Let's face it, that's the really fun part of this business.

On a sad note, we got word that Senate President Pro Tem Mike Gibbons has prostate cancer.  Mike has had to deal with a lot of difficulty lately.  He was close to several of the victims of the recent Kirkwood City Hall shooting spree ... and even knew the shooter.  Now he faces another challenge.  Mike will undergo surgery early next month to remove the prostate and the cancer.  He's expecting a full recovery and says this will not stop him from performing his duties in the Senate ... nor will it affect his run for Attorney General.  Get well, Mike!

- Steve Walsh

Lamar Enters the Hall

It's a special day at the State Capitol in Jefferson City.  National Football League Hall of Famer and Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt enters the Hall of Famous Missourians.  (Okay, he lived in the Dallas, Texas, area until he died - which would make him a famous Texan - but let's not get carried away with the facts).  The bottom line is that his decision to move the Dallas Texans to Kansas City in the early 1960s cemented his place in the hearts of many Missourians.

My attempt at humor notwithstanding (the part about Lamar being a Texas) I really admired the guy as a businessman and as a football figure.  I twice had the opportunity to interview him.  The first time was in the Governor's Office in Jefferson City when Bob Holden was Governor.  Hunt and David Glass of the Kansas City Royals were in town to talk up the importance of sports franchises to Missouri's economy and to look for government aid for stadium renovations and the like.

I later interviewed him for an article I was writing for Missouri Business magazine - a publication of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.  He was selected as the Chamber's Champion of Enterprise and I was asked by a good friend at the Chamber if I would be interested in writing the piece.  I jumped at it, of course.  After all, I love football the way Brent Martin loves basketball and Bob Priddy loves NASCAR.  (What's this?  Three days in a row with a NASCAR reference?  What has become of me?  Maybe I really am moving to North Carolina.)

Anyway, it was my first meeting with Lamar Hunt, in the Governor's Office, that I remember most.  I struck up a conversation with him before starting our interview.  I noticed he was wearing his Super Bowl ring from the Kansas City victory over the Minnesota Vikings.  Like a child, I asked if I could get a closer look at it.  He took it off his finger and placed it in my hand.  I then dared to ask if I could put it on my finger for a moment.  He nodded he had no problem with that.  I slipped it on my finger and said something stupid like, "Wow, this is probably the closest I'll ever get to owning one of these things."  Without missing a beat, Hunt responded, "You got that right!"  See, even grown-ups can act like kids from time to time.

Wherever you are Lamar Hunt (hopefully looking down) ... congratulations!

- Steve Walsh

Carl at the Capitol

Hard to believe ... I'm doing a NASCAR-related story for the second day in a row ... and I swear I have never lived in North Carolina!

Racing great Carl Edwards stopped by the Capitol on Monday where the Columbia native was honored by Senators for racing achievements.

This takes me back to something said by former Missourinet sports director David Sprague, who left us "for the woman he loved," and moved to the Boston area.  Edwards used to date (is date the right word to use these days?) Olympic swimmer and gold medalist Amanda Beard.  Edwards and Beard showed up together at some store in Columbia ... then he showed up at the same place a short time later - without Amanda.  According to David - and he used to swear it was true - the people working at the establishment asked Columbia Carl ... "Hey, where's Flipper?"

I don't know if it's true ... but it's a cute story ... and I am sure David Sprague would not lie - Never!

- Steve Walsh

Great American Race Launches NASCAR ... and Learfield Racing Season

Many of us know about those March Madness brackets and pools which are found in offices throughout the United States.  A lot of us take part in fantasy leagues for Major League Baseball or the National Football League.  But how about a NASCAR fantasy league?

Such a league exists in the halls of Learfield Communications.  Six employees are part of "Fast Car" - a fantasy league in which weekly results and statistics are followed ... with points awarded based on such things as order of finish and laps completed.  The league has been up and running since 1995, with each of the members selecting drivers in a draft of sorts and following their drivers' weekly progress.

With the running of the Daytona 500 ... the season has begun.

The league's Commissioner is none other than Missourinet news director Bob Priddy - a racing enthusiast from way back. Bob says the points system used by Fast Car is superior to the system used by NASCAR.

I'll take his word for it.  Having grown up in the Northeast, I never knew much about NASCAR other than that men from North Carolina would take off their hats and place them over their hearts whenever the names of Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, or Dale Earnhardt were mentioned.  But I would love to attend one of these events to see what it is that attracts more than 100,000 fans to a track on a Sunday afternoon.  Maybe sometime this summer ...

- Steve Walsh

Bond "Needles" Congress on National Security

The deadline for Congress to rauthorize a law allowing for warrantless wiretaps of foreign phone calls and e-mails that pass through the United States has come and gone.  The Senate overwhelmingly approved an extension of the law, but the House failed to follow suit, prompting criticism from President Bush and others.

Folks, there is some humor to this failure to agree.  The week in which the law lapsed - Capitol Hill played host to a hearing on steroid use in baseball.  It was a hearing that resulted in a lot of attention because legendary pitcher Roger Clemens testified that he had not used HGH - Human Growth Hormone.

The failure to reauthorize the surveillance law ... coupled with the time spent on steroids in baseball ... prompted a humorous comment from Senator Kit Bond.

Download 3bondsteroids.mp3

Enjoy the weekend.

- Steve Walsh