Today's Feature

Update On Odor Litigation.

City Attorney David Mouton gave an update on the City’s litigation against Renewable Environmental Resources at the last council meeting. Mouton said that despite the frequency of odor issues recently, RES has been cooperative in its discussions with the Missouri Attorney General’s office, the Department of Natural Resources and the City of Carthage.

Additional measures have been requested by the litigation team including the placement of supplemental equipment. This follows the last installation of a thermal oxidizer and higher efficiency scrubbers.

Mouton stressed the importance of community action in these matters listing phone numbers to call if a stench should occur. DNR in Springfield keeps a log of each complaint submitted, according to Mouton. The complaints are assigned numbers and kept on file for future use if necessary. The number for DNR in Springfield is 417-891-4300. Mouton said that he corresponds with DNR employee Mark Rader. Rader’s email address at DNR is mark.rader@dnr.mo.gov. Mouton’s office can also document complaints at 358-1972.

I often wonder if the folks that invented those ever’day things we use ever got a just financial reward for their insights.

The ones who came up with the paper clip, fingernail clippers, safety pins - did they live long enough to see the impact of these simple, but impressively important contributions to our ease of livin’?

We hear about the non productive pet rock kind of money makers, but take the ball point pen, matches, and disposable diapers for granted. Someone or group of ones came up with the idea and figured a way to make it work. They are the unheralded heroes of modern society. A continuing string of seemingly small contributions that become woven into the cloak of convenience.

I’d take off my hat to ‘em, but I conveniently don’t wear one.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

State Senator Gary Nodler
News release

Governor Signs "Jessica’s Law."

Legislation sponsored by Senator Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, modifying laws pertaining to alcohol-related offenses was signed by the governor today.

Senate Bill 37 creates a graduation of penalties according to the conditions under which an alcohol-related crime that resulted in a fatality was committed. The measure also stiffens penalties for repeat drunk-driving offenders.

"We hope to see a deterrence of drunk drivers now that the crime will be more proportionately punished," Nodler said. "And for those families that are torn apart by the carelessness of undeterred drunk drivers, this legislation will bring more of a balance to the scales of justice."

Nodler drafted SB 37 in the name of 7 year old Jessica Mann who was killed along with her grandfather, James Dodson, when a drunk driver struck them outside of Dodson’s home in Joplin last year. Jessica’s parents, Mike and Amy Mann, and their two children, as well as James Dodson’s wife, Betty, attended the gubernatorial bill-signing ceremony to express their appreciation to state lawmakers for sending a clear message that drunk driving will not be tolerated in Missouri.

Under the legislation, the penalty for involuntary manslaughter in the first degree is increased to a class B, rather than a class C, felony if the driver has a blood alcohol contend between .08 and .18 and causes the death of any person who is not a passenger or causes the deaths of two or more people.

Furthermore, if the driver’s blood alcohol content is higher than .l8 when he or she causes the death of anyone he or she will also be guilty of a class B felony. If someone repeats this offense, he or she will be charged with a class A felony.

All defendants in the above cases must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before they can be up for parole consideration. Legal consequences have also been stiffened for repeat driving while-intoxicated offenses.