Initial Unemployment Claims Rise Last Week

From the DOL:

In the week ending April 3, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 460,000, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 442,000. The 4-week moving average was 450,250, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's revised average of 448,000.

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 27 were in:

• Texas (+3,640)
• Oregon (+2,412)
• New Jersey (+1,715)
• California (+1,275)
• Kentucky (+926)

The largest decreases were in:

• Michigan (-2,240)
• Illinois (-1,872)
• Oklahoma (-1,270)
• Missouri (-1,079)
• North Carolina (-673)

The complete report can be found here.

Career Ladder May Be Tossed Out of Budget

Word from Jefferson City is that some Senate lawmakers are wanting to eliminate funding for the state’s Career Ladder program.  That program is designed to reward teachers who take on additional responsibilities such as tutoring after school.

Last year, then Senate Budget Chairman Gary Nodler had warned that funding for the program was questionable.  Given today’s economic environment and a $500 million shortfall in the budget, it appears more likely that cuts will be forthcoming.

The program was created in 1985 and currently costs the state around $37 million. 

Proponents of the program see it as way to reward teachers for doing more with students and for taking on extra duties.

Neosho has a number of teachers who participate in the program.

SEALs No Longer Accused of Lying

As the saga continues with pending trials for three Navy SEALs accused of abuse of a detainee, changes of making false statements have been dropped against two of them.

PO Jonathan Keefe and PO Julio Huertas are still charged with dereliction of duty.  They, along with PO Matthew McCabe, are accused of abusing a terror suspect, Ahmed Hashim Abed.  Abed is believed to be the mastermind behind the killing, burning, and lynching of former Blackwater employees.  Their mutilated bodies were hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River.

Poor Abed suffered a bloody lip and was punched during his capture.  The photo above shows what happened to the four American’s he had killed.

Only in American would three military heros be charged for punching a suspect who killed Americans.

You can find more photos of the innocent Americans here.

Sewer Work Progressing

If you been down the Blvd. lately, you’ve likely seen the sewer work going on at Harmony St.  This work is part of the $8.5 million sewer improvement plan approved by voters in August of 2008.

The full article from the Neosho Daily News is here.

(The above image is from the NDN.)

Southwest Airlines Upgrades Technology

Southwest Airlines, starting tomorrow, will use satellite-based navigation technology when it lands at many larger airports.  The upgrades made by Southwest in cockpit hardware and software will allow their pilots to shoot RNP approaches.  These approaches are laid out in a way to be more efficient.  So efficient that the routes will require less time and allow for longer glides from altitude to touchdown with engines at idle.

Southwest isn’t the first to use these approaches, but they are by far the largest.  Below is an RNAV (RDP) approach plate showing the flight path for Chicago’s Midway airport.

The full article is here.

March Collections Down Again for State

From today’s SBJ:

Net general revenue collections for March decreased 17.8 percent from a year earlier, according to numbers released Friday.

Collections for the month totaled $461.7 million, down from $561.9 million in March 2009. For fiscal 2010 to date, which runs July 1–June 30, collections total $4.68 billion, down 13.3 percent from the first nine months of fiscal 2009.

Individual income tax collections are down 9.4 percent for the year, to $3.76 billion, though they were up 2.7 percent for the month. Sales and use tax collections dropped 3.9 percent for the month and 6.8 percent for the fiscal year.

Corporate income and franchise taxes dropped 9.1 percent for the month and 12.5 percent for the year, while other collections dropped 14.7 percent for the month and 7.5 percent for the year.

State Finance Director Linda Luebbering said that the state borrowed another $100 million from the state Budget Reserve Fund for cash flow purposes in March. The state has now borrowed $450 million this year, which will be repaid by May 15, according to the release.

Neosho Chamber Passes Resolution Focusing On Tuesday’s Election

Below is a resolution passed by the Neosho Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and published via email in today’s chamber newsletter.

Board of Directors Resolution

Be it hereby resolved that we, the Board of Directors of the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce are asking our members to carefully study the candidates for the Neosho City Council and to support those who express support for the Economic Development program of the Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce and the continuation of Neosho’s 1/8 cent sales tax that is for Economic Development.  It is vitally important to our Community that we continue efforts to grow our economy.

The four City Council Candidates are (in alphabetical order):  Warren Langland, Jeff Werneke, Tom Workman and Chris Wright.  If you are not sure on how they feel about Economic Development, please call them (their phone numbers are listed in the phonebook).

Please see the attachment of some results of the Economic Development Tax.

In today’s economic environment, I’d tell you that every tax will be under scrutiny to ensure it is providing the best value for the money and that the funds from a particular tax are being spent in a way that is allowed and provides the most benefit to the community.  As for “continuation” of the tax, I’ve looked at the statute.  It takes a majority vote of the people to repeal it – not just lack of support of a council member.

For the record, the chamber took no position on the 405 changes that were passed last year.  Those changes significantly increased regulations on businesses do business in Neosho and to those that would possibly relocate here.

YMCA Announces Signups

After 3 months in the making, all appears ready for the Neosho Family Y to take over Neosho’s youth summer ball program.  This is from today’s Joplin Globe:

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho’s YMCA has hired staff and is looking for sponsors and coaches for the summer baseball and softball season.

Last month, the cash-strapped city of Neosho agreed to transfer control of the summer ball programs to Freeman Southwest Family YMCA. The lease agreement approved by the City Council grants the YMCA use of the city’s five ball fields and concessions at a fee of $1 per year.

This week, the YMCA announced that it hired the coordinator for the summer ball programs and announced the program fees. The cost of the T-ball programs will be $25 per child, if they are a YMCA member, and $30 if not. The baseball and softball program fees will be $30 a child if they are a YMCA member, and $35 per child if they are not.

The YMCA offers financial aid and has stated that no child would be turned away based on an inability to pay.

Jenny Holweger, executive director of the Neosho YMCA, said this year, in part, would be about laying the basis for the future.

“We are really looking at it as year one,” Holweger said of the season, noting that the YMCA wanted to build on this season in years to come. “Hopefully we will be able to add another level to it (next year).”

In mid-January, then-City Manager Jan Blase announced that budget cuts would force the city to divest itself of the summer youth baseball and softball programs that affect about 1,000 youngsters. Blase said passing the programs off would save the city about $50,000 annually.

The city approached a fledgling parents’ organization about taking over the programs. The parks advisory board and others then contacted the YMCA because of concerns about whether the parents’ organization could be up and running in time for the upcoming season.

Neosho Mayor Jeff Werneke on Friday said the transfer of the programs would afford an opportunity to revitalize the programs and bring them more consistency than the city-run programs.

“I think it’s a step forward,” he said.

Nuts and bolts

The Freeman Southwest Family YMCA has hired Jessica Ferguson as the summer ball sports coordinator.

Season dates

April 17 — Registration for summer ball programs.

April 26 — Deadline to register without late fees.

May 3-7 — Baseball and softball skills camps for ages 9-18, specific days and times to be announced.

May 17-July 10 — Baseball and softball season.

May 31-July 4 — T-ball season.

July 16-17, 24-25 — Optional baseball/softball tournaments.

Information: Freeman Southwest Family YMCA, 455-9999.

2nd Class is OK with Me

From today’s Joplin Globe:

NEOSHO, Mo. — A bill approved this week by the Missouri House of Representatives would allow Newton County to avoid the added costs that come with designation as a first-class county.

The measure, which has the support of House Speaker Ron Richard, R-Joplin, passed the House 147-7 and now moves to the Senate.

The bill is a result of a request by Newton County officials, said Jerry Carter, presiding commissioner.

House Bill 1806 increases the minimum assessed valuation to move counties to first-class status from $600 million to $900 million. Currently, counties that reach and maintain a $600 million assessed valuation for five years advance to first-class status. Newton County’s valuation is more than $686 million.

Carter said the classification “has nothing to do with the quality of the county, but is an arbitrary measure based on the county’s assessed valuation that in turn might indicate their ability to pay for additional services, such as a juvenile detention center or a coroner who has a medical degree.

“So really, what that can mean is more unfunded mandates from the state,” Carter said.

Carter also said officials are especially concerned the state may pass on more costs to counties because state revenues are down and lawmakers are working to cut spending.

“It’s our feeling now would not be a good time to become a first-class county, and we’ve raised that issue with our legislators,” he said.

Besides increasing the threshold for first-class counties to $900 million, the threshold for counties to reach second-class status would raise from $450 million to $600 million. All counties with an assessed valuation of less than $600 million would be third-class counties.

“We’re dealing with one of the toughest economies on record and our counties simply cannot afford to take on an additional economic burden at this time,” Richard said. “Moving to a higher classification would bring additional costs, with it and we want to spare counties from that change if possible.”

“Bigger is not better when you go to first class,” said Richard Burke, executive director of the Missouri Association of Counties. “I’ve talked to officials from a lot of counties who said they wished they could go back.”

Additional requirements for first-class counties are scattered throughout the statutes, Burke said, and entail more work and expense.

“And there’s potential for a loss of revenue because of the way tax laws are structured,” he said.

Requirements most concerning to Newton County, Carter said, include mandates that the county coroner be replaced with a medical examiner who must be a physician, and that the county provide a juvenile detention center.

Newton County is one of several counties in the region now served by the Jasper County Juvenile Detention Center.

Jasper County, which currently has an assessed value of more than $1.5 billion, reached first-class status about 10 years ago. But a change in state law at the time made the medical examiner requirement optional for the county.

Burke said there are other bills proposed this session designed to address concerns by counties that still want to move to the first-class designation.

“Most feel like Newton County, but there are still some that want it, and the legislature is trying to help,” he said.

“If there was the slightest value for Newton County, we’d seize the opportunity,” said Carter, “but at the present time, with the economy the way it is, it’s not reasonable for us to consider changing classifications.”

Sunshine In The Forecast

Every so often, I like to take some time and review Missouri’s open meetings law.  That law is commonly referred to as “The Sunshine Law”.  In general, it sets the rules as to when a public body may close a meeting to the public.  As a rule, meetings MUST be open unless specific topics are being dealt with or discussed.  By law, those specific topics are “strictly interpreted” meaning that a public board or council does not have any room for interpretation.

Below are the only times a meeting MAY be closed - (note I said may, because the law allows, but does not require, the meeting to be closed).  Emphasis is mine.

• Legal actions, causes of action or litigation (except that votes, minutes and settlement agreements must be opened to the public on final disposition, unless ordered closed by a court).

• Leasing, purchase or sale of real estate where public knowledge might adversely affect the amount paid in the transaction.

• Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting a particular employee.

• Welfare cases of identifiable individuals.

• Software codes for electronic data processing.

• Individually identifiable personnel records.

• Records related to existing or proposed security systems.

• Records that are protected from disclosure by other laws.

As an extra bonus, law makers who created the law also put in place civil penalties for individual members of the public governmental body.  In other words, if I KNOWINGLY violate the law, I can face a penalty of up to $1000.  If I PURPOSELY violate the law, that penalty jumps to $5000.  There are also provisions for paying legal fees.

I’ll be posting more on the Sunshine Law over the next few days, but for now, take a minute and review the Attorney General’s website.  While you’re there, take the quiz.  I got 8 out of 10 on it today.  That tells me I’ve got some studying to do.  Luckily, I’ve got 4 others to keep me inline plus a city clerk who is quite a scholar on the topic herself (enough so I often throw hypotheticals her way).

Until next time…enjoy the weather…and pay attention to the Sunshine!

Visitor Leaves Eggs Everywhere

Well, another Easter has arrived, and with it came the annual visit of the Easter Bunny.  I’m not sure when he came, but by 6:30am this morning, there were a couple of dozen eggs hidden in the yard and a basket of chocolate was sitting on the porch.  Kyndall was able to look out the upstairs window and confirm that the bunny had made his yearly pilgrimage. 

As a side note, I mentioned to Kyndall last night that as kids get older, the Easter Bunny has to choose when to stop coming by so he can focus on the new children being born around the country.  While I don’t remember the exact age, I believe I was eight when the bunny quit coming to my childhood home.  I suspect this may be the last year for such visits to Madison Ave. as well.

Neosho Cuts Asst. Supt. Position

In a surprise move, the Neosho R-5 school district has eliminated the position of Asst. Supt. of Business and Finance.  A vacancy had been posted after the announced resignation of current Asst. Supt. Charles Brazeale.  Brazeale has accepted a position with the St. Charles school district.

Three candidates had been selected from a pool of applicants to be considered for the post.  It was expected to be filled yesterday during a closed meeting of the R-5 board.

Due to recent budget cuts announced from Jefferson City, school districts across the state are facing cuts of unknown amounts.  Dr. Richard Page, Neosho’s Supt. of Schools, estimates the Neosho budget shortfall to be around $1 million compared to last year’s numbers.

Joplin announced a similar move earlier this week as part of cost cutting reductions in their central office.

Branson Adds More Flights

Branson’s new airport is adding new service to better serve customers in the market.  In May, Branson AirExpress will offer non-stop flights to Nashville and Gulfport/Biloxi.  The routes will be services by ERJ-145 aircraft (50 seat jets).

With the addition of the two new destinations, the airport – which hits its one-year anniversary in May – will offer flights to 10 cities. AirTran Airways flies to Atlanta and Orlando, Fla., and service will be added to Denver later this month.

Economy Adds Jobs – Unemployment Remains at 9.7%

In March, the US economy added 162,000 jobs, according to the US Dept. of Labor.  This is along with yesterday’s news that initial unemployment claims came in at 439,000, down 6,000 from the previous week’s revised figure and down from 599,299 a year ago.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending March 13 were in Alaska (7.2 percent), Puerto Rico (6.4), Oregon (6.1), Pennsylvania (6.0), Wisconsin (5.9), Idaho (5.8), Montana (5.8), Michigan (5.5), Nevada (5.5), and Rhode Island (5.3).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending March 20 were in Illinois (+1,396), Oklahoma (+1,152), Missouri (+792), South Carolina (+395), and New Mexico (+303), while the largest decreases were in California (-5,180), Pennsylvania (-3,677), North Carolina (-2,733), New Jersey (-2,521), and Michigan (-1,644).

Nevada Mental Health Facility Closing Due to Budget Cuts

From today’s Joplin Globe:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The state plans to close a mental health hospital in Nevada by 2012 in response to budget problems.

The Missouri Department of Mental Health announced on Wednesday that it will close the Nevada Habilitation Center by 2012.

Sixty of the center’s 90 patients will be moved to group homes in southwest Missouri. The remaining 30 patients will be transferred to other, larger facilities in the state.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that closing the hospital will eliminate about 50 jobs.

Mental Health department spokesman Bob Bax says the exact amount of money the state will save by closing the hospital was not available.

Neosho Business Referred To DNR for Leak

From the Joplin Globe:

NEOSHO, Mo. — A Neosho business has been referred to the state attorney general’s office for allegedly failing to provide documentation that it has either closed an underground gasoline storage tank or protected it from corrosion, according to the state.

A release from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources states that Super Stop No. 12, 800 S. Neosho Blvd., has been referred for failing to provide that documentation.

A phone message left Monday for a DNR spokesman about what range of penalties the store might face was not returned. The release said the attorney general’s office could compel compliance and negotiate a penalty.

A phone message left for the gas station owner, Bob Foster, on Monday was not returned.

DNR records state that the business has a storage tank of bare steel that, without protection against corrosion, must be closed. The agency said it has sent Foster a letter advising him of that requirement, as well a letter of warning and two notices of violation, and engaged in six telephone conversations with him to no avail.

District Decides Not to Fill Position

As part of growing concerns over budgets, the Joplin school district announced this week it is cutting jobs through attrition as part of a plan to cut 5%-8% from the central office budget.

Asst. Supt. Stephen Doerr announced his retirement early this year.  Current Joplin Supt. C.J. Huff announced this week that the position will go unfilled saving the district about $130,000.

Budget cuts have yet to be finalized in Jefferson City, so the impact of the financial cuts is not yet certain.  But school districts do know for certain that cuts are coming…it’s just a matter of how much.

The full article can be found here.

Sales and Manufacturing Index Shows Promise

From today’s SBJ (emphasis is mine):

Sales in both the manufacturing and service sectors increased at a rate not seen in more than a year, according to the March Credit Managers' Index, released Thursday by the National Association of Credit Managers.

The overall index increased to 55.7 from 55.2 a month earlier. Numbers higher than 50 indicate positive movement.

Sales in service and manufacturing increased by nearly five points, faster than any increase since early 2008, despite no increase in new credit applications. Much of the gain is attributed to recent increases in consumer demand.

Negative factors, such as accounts placed for collection and dollars beyond terms, remained steady.

“It is early in the process, but if one couples this data with reports from other sectors, there is reason to assume there will be some pretty decent progress ahead in the coming months,” said Chris Kuehl, economic analyst for the NACM, in a news release. “The consumer is getting a little more confident, despite the fact that there has been no change in personal income, and the business confidence level has also expanded."

The outlook for coming months also remains positive, with the indicator index for both service and manufacturing around 55.

The first quarter of 2010, according to the release, was essentially flat after decent increases in the last part of 2009. This is better than the prediction of most economists, who feared that early 2010 would erode the gains made at the end of the previous year.

Government Efficiency – Another Example?

Where else could a business that scraps 50% of what it buys be successful?  Only in government.  Justified in the article by “young people being killed” and “to be able to protect the American people.” – two standard lines used often to justify political decisions.

From today’s FoxNews website:

When the H1N1 vaccine first became available last fall, the doses were worth their weight in gold to many people desperate to get the shot, but now it’s being reported the government is about to throw away millions of those “precious” vaccines.

The news comes just days after health officials warned Americans the H1N1 flu season is not over yet, with the Southeast reporting an increase in cases of the virus.

According to a report in the Washington Post, less than half of the 229 million doses of the vaccine the government bought to fight the virus have been administered, which leaves an estimated 71.5 million doses that will have to be discarded if they are not used before they expire.

Still, government officials said they are “satisfied with the effort.”

"Did we do as well as we would have liked to? No, not at all," Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "But the country did an extraordinary job of responding. It's pretty incredible to think about how much uncertainty we had at the beginning of this."

Schuchat added that it was “unavoidable that some doses would go to waste.”

"We were dealing with a very unusual situation. We had a pandemic. We had young people being killed," she said. "We wanted to make sure we had enough. We didn't want to be short. It was important to us to be able to protect the American people."

Federal officials estimate that between 81 million and 91 million doses of the vaccine were given to people through the end of February.

Since the outbreak of the H1N1 flu a year ago, the CDC estimates that more than 60 million people in the U.S. were sickened by the virus, at least 265,000 were hospitalized and more than 12,000 died.

Construction Spending Down Again

From the Census Dept:

Construction spending was $846.2 billion in February 2010, 1.3% below January 2010 and 12.8% below February 2009. The January 2010 level was revised down 3.0% from last month’s release.