The overarching theme of the editorial is of sound logic in suggesting greater transparency; however, the author decided to frame the article around two now-resolved cases involving accused Springfield school teachers.

These men and their families already had to go through hell battling these accusations over a several year time frame. One man was acquitted by a jury on charges of inappropriate touching of grade school children. The other had charges of common assault against a teenage student dismissed on the condition that he be clinically evaluated by a psychologist.

Justice was served and both men were cleared, yet here comes the News-Leader publishing their names and pictures once more, dragging them back into the mud just in time for the Christmas season.

Apparently, the News-Leader knows the men are guilty, despite whatever the courts say. “Don’t let accused teachers’ cases slide off public radar.” That headlines says it all. Where the criminal courts failed in their eyes, the News-Leader now wants these men tried under a disciplinary hearing under DESE. Of course, that entity already decided not to pursue action. One man is currently teaching again in the district. The other is actively trying to regain his license.

These men are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, yet the News-Leader is calling for their heads (and for no logical reason except to create resentment, they included the active teacher’s current salary).

Under our system of government, each man is entitled to due process under the law. These men were cleared under that system of wrongdoing and they and their families should be allowed to return to whatever normalcy they can.

Regurgitating old news like this is not only irresponsible but also destructive to the community. Let sleeping dogs lie.

Zach Becker

For the Editorial Board

You might want to think twice next time before swooping in on that perfect parking spot. According to the Springfield News-Leader, a young woman allegedly pulled out an ice-pick and stabbed a man repeatedly after she felt he stole her parking spot at Chili’s Grill and Bar on Sunday.

Luckily for the victim, his injuries were not life threatening. The woman was caught after fleeing the scene but has not been charged yet.

Now this article does leave some unanswered questions. Did she argue with the man first, before pulling the ice pick, or did she just come at him with it immediately? Why did she have an ice pick with her, anyway? How good of a parking spot was it? 

In any case, you know the holidays are almost here when people start stabbing each other over parking spaces. Still, an ice-pick to the baby-back ribs is nothing compared to what people will do to get a Christmas deal on Black Friday (like pushing over a 78-year old woman at Toys R’ Us, or trampling a Wal-Mart employee to death). Unfortunately, sometimes it seems we live in a road-rage, move-it-or-lose-it society. Common courtesy extends only to those we know or like; everyone else be damned.

I guess I should count my blessings, though.

A couple months ago, my truck battery died while my wife and I were parked in the TJ Maxx parking lot. I called my uncle to give us a jump, then pushed my truck back so it was in two stalls so he would have room to pull his car in to jump me. We were just sitting there waiting (obviously with some problem to my vehicle) when I saw these two female teenage Maxxinistas in the rear view looking for a spot to park.

I honestly think they considered ramming me before they noticed the two of us in the vehicle. Instead, they literally crammed into the spot behind me with their tail half out in the road. In the rearview, I see them flipping the bird. As they walked by going into the store, they yelled all manner of profanities our way.

I came out of that situation with a stabbing feeling of how callous and selfish people can be, but perhaps I’m lucky I didn’t come out with a stab wound.

I took my wife to the Bob Dylan concert last night at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield and left entertained by the historic performer, but highly disappointed with the Shrine Mosque venue, staff, and the strong smell of smoke that left my wife with a migraine still this morning.

I say I took her, but the truth is that she gobbled up the premium tickets online as soon as she heard about it. She’s only probably the biggest Bob Dylan fan in the world, but somehow it was I and not her who heard about the show right here in town. Last time, we drove all the way to Nebraska to see him. Before that, Kansas City. Jenny has been to I believe eight or nine of his concerts and this was my third.

We had probably about as good of seats as you are going to get at the Shrine Mosque (which looks kind of like the ancient high school gym from Hoosiers, only with a stage at one end). I wish they would actually put seats on the floor, though, as these expensive seats were in the bleachers so we had to turn sideways the whole time.

As it was, people with general admission tickets stood (or poorly danced) right in front of the stage on the basketball floor. They could also sit in the non-reserved seating sections. They packed quite a few people on the floor, although beyond reserved areas, less than half of the bleachers were filled.

It was a bit sad to think they couldn’t fill this relatively small venue when a legend like Bob Dylan was performing (the other concerts of his we attended were always sold out), but we soon found out that anyone who has been to a concert at the Shrine Mosque before will never come back.

Quite frankly, unless you are a smoker or entirely unaffected by second-hand smoke, DO NOT GO TO A CONCERT AT THE SHRINE MOSQUE!

Maybe the word is already out, because it seemed over half the audience was lighting up. While the gym had signs posted that smoking was prohibited, many rude individuals smoked anyway. The event was staffed with plenty of ushers and security, but when I pointed out that someone was smoking right behind one of them in the middle of the gym and that my wife is highly allergic to it, the usher looked over, looked at me, acted like he didn’t see it and said nothing. I saw another disgruntled guest inform a security guard about a woman smoking, but he just waved it off and did nothing as well.

However, if anyone one was using their digital cameras or cell phones to take pictures, then look out. Those guards were all over that. Apparently, one guest must have taken a few too many pictures and wouldn’t be taken quietly. As we left, a security guard was lying on the floor with an injured knee and medics were providing care. If the story I overheard as we left the building was correct, a guest being escorted out by him apparently injured him before escaping and taking off back into the crowd to see the rest of the concert.

The whole placed had a haze of smoke. It was bad enough that they allow smoking in the bar area (which is just outside the gym and quite easily seeped into the rest of the place), but it is even worse when they allow people to smoke right in front of your face at a supposedly non-smoking venue. It felt like I was in a bingo hall.

It takes a lot to ruin a Bob Dylan concert for my wife, but last night the smoky venue pretty much did that. Jenny had a horrible migraine by the end of the night, and even I started to get sick from the fumes.

As for Bob Dylan’s performance, it was good. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan, but I’ve learned to enjoy him. Jenny didn’t particularly like his song lineup, especially early. He seems to play a lot of his more obscure songs, when we’d rather hear the most famous ones. He also alters the musical arrangement of his songs greatly from how they appear on his albums. As an entertainer, he doesn’t exactly interact with the audience much, either (that is just not his thing, Jenny told me).

He is obviously a very talented musician, with excellent skills on the keyboard, guitar, and of course harmonica. His lyrics are interesting, too, if you can decipher them. Listening even to his early albums, it is obvious Dylan never had much of a singing voice. At the age of 68 and through years of smoking, he now utters and growls the words to his songs more than sings them.

Still, he’s Bob Dylan. He’s a living musical legend. It’s pretty amazing he still can even perform at his age, let alone at a high level. He definitely entertained and gave the audience their money’s worth with a roughly 2-hour performance.

While Bob Dylan did not disappoint on this night, a legend such as he deserves a better place in which to perform. I truly believe they could have sold this thing out at the much larger (but infinitely nicer, non-skanky, and smoke-free) JQH Arena. Even Bob Dylan could not counteract the headache left by the smoky Shrine Mosque.

Missouri State University graduate and filmmaker Jonathan Stratman released the DVD of his film Roberto and the Robot for sale this week at the Moxie theater in Springfield and online.  The film was one of two major collaborative senior projects produced by MSU’s Electronic Arts program last spring.

Stratman said the most rewarding part of his experience making Roberto and the Robot was his collaboration with many talented people, both inside and outside the Electronic Arts program.  “The [Electronic Arts] program is great because they highlight your interest, but also focus on collaboration, which is a key part of all electronic arts generally and films specifically,” he said.

“Springfield has a great film community,” Stratman said, “You mention that you’re shooting a movie, and the word gets out, and people start calling you to be part of it.”

Stratman also praised the faculty and facilities at MSU in helping to create the film. “In fact,” he said, “a couple of teachers came up to me on the first day of shooting, wished me luck, and gave me $50 a piece.  That bought food on the first day of shooting.”

According to Stratman, the entire production cost around $3,000. Most of this money came from donations.  The rest, Stratman said, is on credit cards he’s still repaying.

The DVD has a very low price tag, which Stratman said is set just to cover the cost of making the DVD. Stratman described the DVD sales as “non-profit.”

The Roberto and the Robot DVD includes a commentary track recorded by Stratman, a behind the scenes featurette, and three other shorts produced at MSU: Roommate Wanted, American Psalm, and Circumvolve.

The soundtrack will also be available at the Moxie and online, featuring eight original rock tunes written and mixed by MSU student Isaac Crawford, who is also the sound designer for Roberto and the Robot.  Crawford cites early Rolling Stones and Velvet Underground as inspiration for the songs he wrote for the movie. “As the film progresses,” Crawford said, “the music also changes, adding the synthesizer sounds of the robot.”

Stratman expressed concern MSU’s Electronic Arts program might be seen by some as too difficult to join.  It should require a commitment, he said, but should also encourage a wide variety of students to join to enrich the collaborative process.

Stratman’s advice for students interested in the program is to start early. “Don’t wait to take a class you want to take, don’t wait to jump in and help with other people’s projects,” he said, “and don’t let people scare you off from trying to apply for the program.”

You can find out more about the movie at robertoandtherobot.com. DVDs are available at kunaki.com.

The author of this article participated in the production of Roberto and the Robot.

Editor-In-Chief

Who is John Q. Hammons?

And why is every building named after him?

As a recent transplant to Springfield (I moved here from Kansas in July), this is one of those questions that has been bugging me.

Finally, curiosity overcame me and I Googled him. Apparently, he is a Missouri State graduate and the company he founded owns and operates 71 top-notch hotels across 24 states.

Hammons Field. Hammons Tower. Hammons House. John Q. Hammons Parkway. Hammons Fountain. JQH Arena. (And the list goes on and on.)

See a theme here?

For all he shows in generosity, he (or whoever names all this stuff) equally lacks in creativity.

Jack Bauer Field. Manute Bol Tower. Gregory House. J.B. Fletcher Parkway. Brokeback Fountain. LOL Arena.

If I was rich enough to donate buildings and such, those are the kinds of names I would pick (my wife says that is one of the reasons I will never be rich). But really, Springfield would be much less confusing if every place had, you know, a unique name on it.

Although in all seriousness, I must send a shout out to John Q. Hammons and his generosity. I’ve been very impressed by all the locales I’ve seen his name on.

In fact, I can’t say there is much I haven’t been impressed with here in Springfield.

I’ve heard some of my friends complain there is just not that much to do here, but I guess they didn’t just move here from the western half of Kansas. The town of Hays, Kans., where I moved from, is a university town with a population of about 20,000.

About all the residents did there was drink (in fact, Hays has the highest alcohol consumption per person in the nation). That’s great if you are a really into that, but since neither I nor my wife are, we were left with the only alternative entertainment: Wal-Mart. We’d go there with our friends about 2 or 3 a.m. frequently. It was either that or play Rockband or Halo.

But now that we’re in Springfield, wow, there are like seven or eight Wal-Marts to choose from.

Heck, we’ve even driven over to the Nixa Wal-Mart. And we’re starting to discover all the non-Wal-Mart activities in town. Ice skating looks cool. As does go-carting and mini golf. And Branson is less than an hour away. It’s also fun going to basketball games at the fancy new JQH Arena.

This town has everything. Heck, I even saw PetSmart is opening a brand new Pet Hotel, where while you are gone your pet can watch “pet themed” television shows and sleep on a lambskin rug and even have personal playtime and training sessions.

That’s not to say it has been an easy transition to Missouri life.

Some of the people here are just plain strange. We decided to shop at Aldi discount grocery store one day. With the accents of some of these people, I swore I was lost in an episode of Beverly Hillbillies.

I was half expecting granny’s chair to be tied to the roof of a car in the parking lot. And speaking of strange usages of the roof of a car, what is it with people here tying a mattress on top of their vehicles?

I’ve probably seen 15 cars with a mattress tied up there, and then as they drive, the mattress gets caught by the wind, raises up and then proceeds to slam back down violently on the roof. Weird.

And then there is West Sunshine Street (a.k.a. Rated-R Lane). Seriously, the police need to set up a checkpoint or something to make sure everyone who goes down that street is 18 or older.

But it’s not just West Sunshine Street. I go down Battlefield and am just in shock by the names of some of these businesses. Kum and Go. Rapid Roberts. Wood You. Fast Lube.

And as I drive down Battlefield, I am equally stunned by some of the maneuvers drivers try. Illegal u-turns. Swerving in and out of traffic. Not yielding to pedestrians. Driving in the turning lane. Slamming on the brakes for yellow lights.

I guess I can forgive them on the last one. Red light cameras have to be one of the worst ideas I’ve ever seen. I’m sure they generate some money in fines for the city, but they must create a lot of rear end accidents when people slam on the brakes for yellow lights.

In Kansas, and I bet to people in a lot of states, yellow means hurry up and drive faster. Not a good combination when the person in front of you is breaking like there’s an old women with a baby stroller crossing the street.

Those accidents are sure to keep the police busy. Unfortunately, I’ve been reading that the Springfield police are going to be stretched more thin after the voters rejected a potential 1-cent sales tax bailout to fund the police and fire pension fund.

Here’s an idea: how about the police spend less time setting speed traps and more time catching criminals or, you know, just helping people in need. That protect and serve stuff. I’ve gone down the James River Freeway and seen two cop cars sitting back to back, the cops standing outside, radar guns drawn, just waiting for some poor speeder to pass. Here’s a better idea: move those red light cameras onto the James River and send tickets to speeders instead of wasting police resources. Sorry, but those dumb red light cameras drive me nuts.

But really, I have enjoyed my brief time in Springfield. And I’ve enjoyed Missouri State as well. It really is a nice place to live and go to school.

Now if they’d just come up with some unique building names.

Contributor

Quick, name your favorite pizza joint. Pizza Hut. Dominoes. Papa John’s. Wheat State Pizza?

Wheat State Pizza is a little known franchise with big plans for Springfield. Owner and Missouri State graduate student Keegan Jones was first introduced to the brand while attending Baker University in Kansas. Keegan is a native of Nixa and when he returned to Springfield to get his master’s in business administration, he brought a bit of Kansas back with him.

He worked for Wheat State Pizza in Baldwin City, Kansas, where he was introduced to the owners and became a big fan of their product. Eventually, Jones decided to transplant the brand to Missouri.

As he says, running a business and going to graduate school “can be stressful,” but he enjoys being in control and setting his own hours. Everything you learn in the MBA program immediately applies, he said, and “It keeps my eyes open”.

The storefront on 3821 S. Campbell is the company’s first location outside of the Sunflower State, and Jones has arranged an area development agreement with the Wheat State corporation. Although the store has only been here since May 2008, the potential is great, he says, and he hopes to put in three or four more stores in town. Right now they’re planning for a possible College Park location downtown, which would make the brand even more accessible to Missouri State students.

But on to the pizza.

What makes it different?

“We have seven different sauces, four different crust options, white or wheat, hand tossed or thin crust, three different cheeses and thirty different toppings”, Jones explained while slicing fresh vegetables. With that many options, anyone can find something they love. The dough is made fresh at the store; they grate their own cheese (mozzarella, provolone and cheddar), and the back room is a professional kitchen. They’re more than willing to make anything, from a Farmer pizza, loaded with bacon, sausage and beef, to a Veggie Dream pizza, with heaping loads of fresh vegetables. “Our product speaks for itself”, Jones said. Once people get a taste, he said, it will sell itself over and over.

Although they are fighting in competition with more recognizable names like Pizza Hut and Dominoes, their local recognition is building with a new commercial and a growing customer base. Wheat State Pizza’s superior product is their biggest weapon, according to Jones. Even with the slumping economy and restaurant sales down across the board in Springfield, Jones shrugs it off.

“We’re doing fine,” he said, excitedly discussing plans to attract new customers and open new locations.

For the discerning pizza consumer, Wheat State Pizza offers a great alternative to the big pizza franchises. Open from 11 to 11, with the last delivery and carryout at 10:30, you can order online and support an innovative graduate student who’s brought a great business to Springfield and the MSU students who work for him. Jones encourages students to come in and give his Wheat State Pizza a try. With all the options available, they are bound to find that perfect pizza.