May2004gossip 

The City of La Grange's first Electronic News
Jerry Brandt  jbrandt@gte.net editor Since "1999"
To go the Main Page CLICK HERE

HALF THE TOWN OF LA GRANGE FOR SALE ON EBAY!

CLICK HERE

The LAPD WISHES ALL THE VISITORS TO LA GRANGE MO A

HAPPY 
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

PLEASE DRIVE THROUGH

THE LAPD HAS RADAR ON BOTH ENDS AND ROUTE C.

only for your safety. 

The Mayor and City Council welcomes everyone to La Grange and the Casino.

Meet the fab four who are selling out the people of La Grange.
They are selling the Ball Park to the City for $1,000.00.

DON SHERWOOD - KEN SCHUETS - PAM NOVINGER - CHERYL LOWE

Save the last dance for me..    (Nina Painter) (Mark Twain)

The Parade with over 50 entries

The Judges Choice Award

People at the talent show - more pictures later

MISS La GRANGE and LITTLE MISS LA GRANGE CONTESTANTS
The place was packed - standing room only

The rest of the Pictures later on a separate page

La Grange Chamber of Commerce planning to sell Ball Park to the City.

SOLD!

THIS OLD HOUSE MAGAZINE ARTICLE MAY 2004 Issue  CLICK HERE

You have to see this!!

CITY COUNCIL SCREWS THE PEOPLE OF LAGRANGE

TAXES ADDED TO THE PEOPLE

HIGHER WATER RATES

USER FEES PUT BACK ON

NEW MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR

SEWER PLANT

AND

PASSED A Budget that is $600,000.00 

more than the income.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN AND AROUND LA GRANGE

La Grange Fire Department Chicken Bar-B-Que July 4th.
La Grange City wide yard sale August 14th
Council meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month
Who knows where or when the Chamber meets

 Cheap Long Distance Phone Service CLICK HERE
Tired of telemarketing calls goto: donotcall.gov or call 888-382-1222
Lisa Borgstadt has Dolls for sale call 573-655-4513
Bashful babies - Realistic dolls
Paula Vaughn is doing house cleaning and Car wash/detailing call 655-4211
Kountry Kream ice cream shop is now open 11am to 8:30pm and Sunday 1-8:30pm

                BOOKS FOR SALE CLICK HERE
La Grange's largest bookstore
__________________________________________

2000 mhz computer with 40 gig hard drive - 256 meg ram - CDRW only $475.00
FREE DISH NETWORK SATELLITE SYSTEMS
CALL 573-655-2260 to order 
CLICK HERE for inkjet printer cartridge prices 
CLICK HERE for remanufactured inkjet printer cartridge prices
CLICK HERE for remanufactured toner cartridge prices

BEFORE YOU BUY THAT NEW PRINTER 
CLICK ON THE COST TO BUY INK FOR IT ABOVE.

The Class of 1964 is in the process of planning a class reunion for July 2-3, 2004. Our tentative 
plan is to host an "informal get-together" for the classes of 1962, 1963 & 1965 the night of the 3rd.

May 31, 2004

There is a rumor that is going around town for the past week about a NEW bed and breakfast coming to La Grange. Rumor has it that the old Hoyes place may be where it will be..

If you look it up on EBAY, you will see that half the town of La Grange is for sale. Get in on the bidding war now! Oh, and by the way, you should take into account that 116 will be waiting to stop you anytime day or night for something.

May 30, 2004

Keystone Cops and Chinese fire Drill. There was this story today about a guy who drove his truck to his camp on the river near the Casino. Lo and Behold, a Keystone cop came by and saw the man in his cabin and called Keystone cop number two. The Keystone cops decided the man needed to be SAVED. 

The call went out to the Chinese fire Drill team and they responded with quick response. After carefully assessing the precarious situation, the Chinese fire Drill Team retreated with emergency lights on to number two's home to get some boots. In the mean time a real long train came by and stopped and blocked the Chinese Fire Drill team from saving the man. But, the Keystone cops speeded up to the front of the train and got the train to move on so the man could be SAVED.

The Chinese fire Drill team returns and then the Keystone Cops arrive and the Chinese Fire Drill walks calf deep out to the cabin to rescue the mis-happened man only to find that he wasn't in distress and didn't need to be SAVED. 

The Chinese Fire Drill team came back empty handed and the Keystone cops left to go find someone else to harass.

It is hard to ever imagine how the people of La Grange survived all these years without all these keystone cops running around like a Chinese fire drill providing all this safety for us.

Their little buddy Timmie the gamecop said you can't catch a fox with a dead chicken. He says you need expensive lures and special expensive traps to catch a fox. Who would have thought that a game cop could be wrong?

May 29, 2004

Please tell us who left so Curryville can hire him!!!!  Bald Rabbitt now has the town convinced he can chase down druggies and has multiplied the force from 2 to 4!   He has the "job " of planning the emergency manual.  He open the churches and started dragging people out to them DURING the worst of the storm.  Oh, but he only took his own family first and forgot to tell the TAX paying (he rents!) citizens that there were even shelters available.  We don't need any more Lagrange reject COPS so advise us of who the "baby" bunnies are!

May 28, 2004

It never quits

No sooner than one dumb cop quits, the dumb City Council and Mayor hire a new one. Already at 5:30am a long time citizen in La Grange (Holder) gets stopped. 5:30 in the morning. What possibly could he be doing that was so detrimental to the safety of anyone in La Grange. Now the people of La Grange has a new dummy that will have to stop everyone in sight to make his name before he moves on. These COPS think it is alright to trespass on private property and even drive over a barricade with their 4 wheeler and yet arrest a citizen for trespassing. Maybe, the new City Administrator will be able to put a stop to this continuous harassment of the people of La Grange. It sure seems this Mayor can't stop it. A good Mayor would put a stop to this insaneness. It also sure seems the Police Chief doesn't care about the people of La Grange or the Businesses in La Grange or whether the Casino leaves or not. I personally like Larry Penn, but he has been a dismal failure as a police chief. YET, even though no one from the Casino and no one from the Gaming Commission EVER said that the City needs more than 5 COPS, the Mayor and the Council say the people of La Grange need to be harassed by eight of them, or even ten. When will we ever vote in a Mayor that has the balls to put a stop to the harassment of his people, that will say enough is enough and start firing cops. $500,000 plus a year, WASTED. Thrown away. For Nothing but harassment. It doesn't make sense to an idiot even.

May 27, 2004

Norma J Fish  Dec 7, 1925 - May 26, 2004

A mass of Christian burial will be held at the Notre Dame Catholic Church in La Grange at 10am Saturday. Burial will be at wing Queen of Peace cemetery. Visitation 4-8pm Friday at Davis in La Grange.

May 26, 2004

Some cows got out today on Route C near the City shed. The LAPDogs came screaming in at 90 mph to make sure no one hit one of the goats or mules or bulls or horses. They weren't sure.

Then this afternoon and old boat dock came floating down the river. The LAPDogs thought it was aboat overturned and the State Patrol, the La Grange Fire and Rescue and the KHQA News were all called to this disaster. It never quits. At least one of the two main troublemakers has left the building. Good riddance, now we got one more to go. Maybe daddy Doctor can find him a job in Quincy. Oh, NO. not in the City where daddy has a business, it will end up closed. Maybe he can get a job as a game cop like little Timmie. too bad he lost one of his little foxes.

May 25, 2004

Monday night was Council meeting night. With one council member absent, the demeanor was like the difference between daily and dark. It was open, congenial, and businesslike. One thing I did notice is that as I expected, Councilman Steve Griesbaum, was questioning the councils willing to just spend money without any consideration of where it would come from. We can only hope that Steve can hold his ground once the other councilman gets back.

Tuesday night there was a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce. Don Sherwood, Cheryl Lowe, Pam Novinger and Ken Shuetts sat a the front table and proceeded with the ramming of the sale of the La Grange Ball park to the City. One businessman who has been in the Chamber for over 50 years and has the oldest still in business, business, voted not to sell the property and Cheryl Lowe looked quickly at he membership list and didn't see his name and promptly ordered his vote nul and void.

The only two members of the "La Grange Ball Park Association" showed up to support the sale and wanted to see if they were going to get at least $15,000 or more to run the ball park. When asked about the members having fund raisers and working to keep up the park, we were told that they didn't have any volunteers.

The four officers of the Chamber, adamantly refused to allow the members to wait to see if the La Grange betterment Committee which will get $50,000 from the Casino would contribute to improving the ball park. There seem to be a real emergency reason to sell the ball park. After the four kept pounding away to sell, it was to set a price of $1,000 with the stipulation that the City will put $10,000 per year in capital improvements for five years. 

One Councilman, who is also a Chamber Member, refused to abstain from voting or making any motions. So much for the ethics books Councilman Henderson keeps referring to.

In reference to the foxapade, I have a lot of people pissed off about how many foxes there are in town. Some were complaining they lost a pet and another has lost some birds to the foxes. The Game Cop said he would send someone to get rid of the foxes, but so far that has been a lie. Some of the people complaining did not know where the foxes were coming from or living, but they do now.

May 23, 2004

It seems like every time there is something good going on in La Grange, there is always some one out to spoil it. Take a look at the emails

Jerry
Please let the mayor know that no matter what benefits there are to bring the community together, the cops in La Grange take advantage of it and as Jerry says, harass the people. You can't believe the number of people the cops stopped over the Appreciation Days Celebration. I was one who was stopped going to the celebration and if it weren't for a relative performing, I would have turned around and went home. Why can't the Mayor put a leash on the cops?

By now the LAPD has spread all over everywhere how they got the game cop to give me a ticket for trying to relocate a fox. They couldn't find a way to get me themselves, so they worked with a buddy.  So while the game cop, like the La Grange Police Force was busy harassing me for trying to catch a fox killing my chickens, the game cop let the fox kill 6 little baby Canadian geese. I have since found that there are a lot of foxes running around La Grange. One person said they lost a cat to a fox here in town. Another said that the foxes looked like they had mange. But, no matter, the La Grange Police Force will protect them from harm. Not your cat or dog or other pets, just the foxes.

I went to the Youth Center dance last night around 9 to pick up my wife after the dance was over. The place earlier was packed with over fifty kids. There were several grown-ups watching over the kids. One of the people watching the kids noticed that a LAPD officer had come in twice and asked me why, as at that time, there were only little girls under 16 and no boys. The person was worried as the officer seemed to stare and watch the little girls closely. They said he came in twice maybe three times and they were worried as there was no need for an officer to be there. By the time I was told, the officer had already left so I didn't get to see anything.  

May 22, 2004

Thanks for a great Appreciation Days.

This has been a very good uplifting weekend for the people of La Grange. There were hundreds of people who turned out for the parade and all the activities. Surprisingly, even with me walking around the park many times, not one person came to me and said they were disappointed. I am sorry I missed the baby contest. I hope someone took the time to take a picture of every baby and get them to me to put on the Gossip page for all those people who don't live in La Grange a chance to see them.

I took over two hundred pictures so far and it will take a couple of days to get them on a page to upload here.

Oh, and by the way, I did here a couple of negative comments, not about the Appreciation Days but the LAPD. As soon as I get more info, I will post it. 

May 20, 2004

A little bird talked to me tonight. The little bird was telling me a story about Bre'r Bald Rabbit. It has been a long time since there was anything on the gossip pages about the "Bald Rabbit". October 16, 1973. Rumor has it that the bald rabbit has been hopping around two states since he hopped out of La Grange. Remember the time (in the past gossip pages) that he played Demolishin-Derby with one of the police cars? Well, the rumor now is that he hopped up in Iowa and just couldn't find a hole in a couple of places, and then hopped down to Memphis until they got smart and then hopped around in a truck for awhile ending up in a County job, but couldn't seem to fit there. Now the rumor is that the Bald Rabbit is in Curreyville Missouri and is helping a couple of Buddies in the small 2-300 population town. Rumor has that the Bald Rabbit is still up to his old tricks. If you ever want to talk to the Bald Rabbit, rumor has it that this might get you there, 573-324-0027. This for his old buddies.

May 18, 2004

I received an unsigned letter from the La Grange Chamber of Commerce stating there will be a meeting May 25th at 7:00pm at the City Hall to discuss selling the Ball Park to the City. The reason is that the Chamber does not have the funds to do the needed improvements and maintain the park as it is. They say there will be a stipulation that the City keeps it as a ballpark and if the City no longer wanted to maintain the park, it would be purchased back by the Chamber at the original sale price.

Let me see now. The Oyster family "donated" a whole city block to the city to be used as a park with the Oyster name and if the city no longer wanted the park, it would be deeded back to the Oyster family. SOLD to the Casino. The Park area across the highway, SOLD to the casino. 

Let's assume that the Chamber decides to sell the ball park to the city for, let's say $5,000.00. A small amount as it should be more like $25,000.00 or more based on the purchase price the City paid for the property for the City shed and fire station. But, let's just take the small amount of $5,000.00. Unless the Chamber puts that money in a long term investment, it will never have the money to buy it back and the City will sell it to ???????.

It was bad enough that the Chamber wanted to give the City a 25 year lease, but now to sell the property???

I do not understand the City Council. They act like they want to do things to improve the town but, when it comes to the Ball Park, they seem to want to punish the people of La Grange. So, the Chamber doesn't have the money and the ball associations don't have the money and the City has the money, Why can't the City Council be reasonable and lease the park for a year, put the money in for the improvements, let the Chamber run the Ball park and the ball park association play ball?

Why does the City Council feel the need to OWN the park? The Council is supposed to be there for the PEOPLE OF LAGRANGE, and the ball park is for the PEOPLE OF LAGRANGE. Do what is right and make a deal to fund the ball park and get out of the idea of wanting to own and control everything.

This is what you get when let an outsider come in and run the Chamber.  

May 16, 2004

What is the worst thing in La Grange? The La Grange Police Department. The only thing the Officers of the La Grange Police department is interested in is arresting the people of La Grange and anyone dumb enough to drive through La Grange. Day after day, they run radar trying to catch some unsuspecting person. I have now found out that if they can't do it themselves, they will do everything they can to get you. Once a person in town has been picked on and they find he doesn't have the money to rightfully defend himself, they keep on coming. Go get him again, he can't fight back.

Can anyone tell what good they have done for La Grange? Most don't live here and won't move here and be a part of the community? The ones that do live here don't support any business in town. And I have only seen one or two support any fundraiser. How many police officers have you seen at any fundraiser? They won't even donate any personal time to support the kids at the Youth Center? All they want to do is take the people of La Grange's money, harass the people, and go out of town to spend the money. The cops in La Grange have pretty much ran off most of the customers of the few businesses in town. They don't care how many people the stop going to and from the casino and whether those gamblers will come back or not. They bite the hand that feed them and they could care less.

A representative of the Casino was asked at a function why the Casino demands so many cops. The reply was, that the Casino doesn't care how many officers the city has. Several representatives of the Gaming Commission at several meetings were asked the same thing and one at a recent function stated that he was getting tired of the question and that the Gaming Commission does not require the city to have so many cops. 

So, why does the MAYOR, and the City Council want to blow A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR for cops the City doesn't need, and not required by anyone else? Why is the City Council wanting to spend even more money for a drug dog when the town has a more efficient and effective North East Missouri Drug Task Force. The task force already has the equipment and man power to get the meth labs. But, our illustrious police chief says they didn't do anything for him, so he wants the people of La Grange to SPEND MORE MONEY.

Anyone running a business knows that anything you spend money on has to have a cost / benefit ratio. But, with the cops of La Grange, there is no benefit. The City of La Grange would be much better off giving the Lewis County Sheriff's department $250,000 a year and let them provide security for the Casino. That way the County will benefit from the casino revenues and the people of La Grange can get a rest, not arrested or harassed. 

May 14, 2004

La Grange Foundry under new management.

Now it is the new La Grange Business Park.

The budget that the City Council passed that if they continue, can only lead the City to BANKRUPTCY. It is hard to believe that any of the Councilmen read the whole budget, all 43 pages, before voting to pass it. Rumor has it that none really understood what it was.

$2,803.200  THAT'S TWO MILLION - EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS

Income from the Casino Estimated at $1,577,000.00. Income from property taxes, water and sewer bills, etc. $650,000.00.

Estimated Expenses for General office $400,000.00 plus capital spending of $2,100 for a notebook computer that only costs $1000. $25,000 for antique lighting for the downtown businesses. $6,000 to relocate the chicken BBQ cooker. $3,000 for Christmas lights for the new antique lighting. $20,000 for the ball park improvements. Plus $2,100 to develop a web page that only costs $500.00.

Estimated Expenses for the Police Department. $520,000.00. This includes $435 for metal folding chairs. $2,400 for two more Dell laptop computers. $960 for deluxe office chairs. $1,300 for shotgun holders. $12,000 to destroy the old City Hall. And get this, they are going to spend $750 for RSMO Missouri Statute Books, that you can FREE off the internet.

How much of the $1.4 million is for police protection for the casino? $500,000.00 out of $1.4 million only leaves $900,000.00 left to spend. So here is where they spent that and $600,000.00 more.

Estimated expenses for the fire department. $99,000.00. And that doesn't include a new fire truck or even a used one. 

Estimated expenses for the municipal garage $44,000.00 This so the City doesn't have to pay Tony's garage or Tiemann's MFA, or let out work to any known business in La Grange.

Estimated expenses for the public works department (street department),  $960.000.00. This includes a new Ford F-450 for $47,500. A new John Deere tractor $26,000. $16,000 for a pole barn 

Estimated expenses for the water department $382,000.00

Estimated expenses for the sewer department $357,000.00. This includes buying back land from the Casino for a new multi-million dollar sewer plant YOU will get to pay for. $80,000 just to design it when a prepackaged unit can be had already designed.

Estimated expenses for the cemeteries. $22,000.00. This is the only place the Council couldn't screw up. 

Get ready, people of La Grange, you are going to have to PAY MORE TAXES AND HIGHER SEWER BILLS.

May 13, 2004

The may be next Governor of the State of Missouri came to La Grange today 
AND NOT ONE COUNCILMAN, MAYOR OR ANY OTHER CITY OFFICIAL WAS THERE.

What a slap in the face. Only in La Grange. 

We even had to warn his driver about our police radar traps before he left as no one from the LAPD showed up either.

May 12, 2004

I should have had a camera at the Youth Center Last Evening. There were so many kids using and enjoying the place, I don't think very many more would fit. Besides that, there were more than 7 or 8 adults helping out.

The Youth Center directors held a meeting to discuss providing refreshments at the Auction to be held June 26th at Veda Brandt's place at 704 North 3rd Street in La Grange.

May 10, 2004

REPLY EMAIL FROM VICKIE TIMS

On Sun, 9 May 2004 23:48:16 -0600, Vickie Tims wrote:

Well this is the rumor page huh.  Yep, that is  for sure.  You seem to never get both sides of a story or tell the whole truth behind things.
I only had one side of the story. The LAPD officer doesn't talk.
For instance, first of all, it is the courts decision as to if the who is the owner of land, not cops. 
That is what I am saying, the COP should have turned it over to the City Attorney rather than risk a false arrest. But, being a LAPD.....
The cops does have copies of the land owned by the people.  The cops wasn't the  ones doing the accusing, the landowners was.
That is what I am saying. The COP should have referred the matter to the City Attorney, NOT take on the RAMBO effect.
Next, the citizen who drove on the other person's  property knew it to be their property, and had been asked nicely before not to drive up the hill again.
Evidently the driver could see it looked like the "plotted" city street.
Last but not least, the person who drove up  the hill admitted to doing it, taking out anybody having to see him do it.   If not for that nothing could have been done.  It would have been one man's word against the other one's.
SO? A person admitted to driving up what he thought was a PLOTTED street.
Oh,  almost forgot.  If anybody drives up  Skinner street, they can see the road curves.
The road to the property does curve up and around, all on Skinner street and second street. Been that way for years as they didn't have four wheel drives back then. But, you are wrong, look at any City map and you see that the PLOTTED LEGAL city street is as straight as an arrow. 66 feet wide. NEXT, there is second street in that area too, running north and south. 66 feet wide. No LAPD has the expertise to determine where the streets are and where the owners property is.
Anyway, I think you need to take some law school  before you start making decisions of who is right or wrong.  And oh, in  case your wondering, I have taken law school.
FLUNKED HUH?
Then again, maybe somebody should drive in your  front yard and tear it up and not a thing be done because an officer didn't see  it done. Then how would you feel. 
Been there, Done that. And the good officer would not arrest the person. He referred me to the City Attorney. I had to show a registered survey, pictures of survey markers and pictures of the damage showing that is was inside of the survey markers.
HHMM wonder if I will see this on the rumor page,  or even hear back from you.

ANOTHER EMAIL

Jerry,
Where are you getting your information about the council at? Elaine and 
Lannie doesn't always vote with Sam. In fact, I haven't see all three 
of them vote on anything yet together. I will have to admit I have 
never seen the City in such turmoil. It was funny to go into the 
gossip page and see the big ad of wanting contestants for the 
appreciation day. I think that Mike and Cheryl Lowe, Tim Rossiter, and 
Cathy Combs are the only ones I have talked to that are planning on 
being there. Just kidding. I have seen a different side of Mike. I 
always knew he was a "could have, would have, should have." But he is 
a very hateful person. Never saw that before. Not really sure it was 
always there. Something has really changed some of these people in La 
Grange, or I have just met new people and I am finding out that not 
all people are like the ones in La Grange. Anyway, it is interesting. 
Been a learning experience. You do have to laugh at some though. 
Never knew La Grange had so many idiots.

Keep the city employees on their toes and if you ever need anything from me as far as military 
questions go just let me know. Thank you for supporting us and our commander in chief. We really 
appreciate the good people of La Grange and are fighting for them. Whenever they forget this just 
remind them that there are people in the military that would fight to their death in order to secure 
their freedom. And get out there and vote. The people of La Grange can make a difference but they 
need to get out there and voice their opinion on matters and politicians or they take what they get.

What is going on with the City Council? How can they raise the 
water rates? I thought that in the state of Missouri we were 
protected under that Hancock Law, amendments or whatever it is, 
that the poeple would need to vote themselves this raise. I don't 
understand some of the things that they are doing. If the lawyer 
starts talking about resigning, then I know something is wrong. If 
they are in debt, why spend this money they are spending? If you 
are printing everything the way that it is really happening, and 
I was planning on living in La Grange, I would be a real monster 
and have to report all of this to someone. What if, the casino 
would close on the morning of April 24, 2004, where would La Grange 
be financially? There is more money coming into this town than 
ever before. But to look around after 2 1/2 years of huge income 
the citizens see, bigger fire department, police department, new 
city hall, many, many employees for the city, even though the town 
did not grow, play ground equipment in park, shelter house. I 
guess I was hoping for more. Sidewalks, paved streets, new water 
lines. I know they say that is in the plans. I don't think it 
will ever happen. Being election day today in La Grange, I wonder 
who will bother to go vote. I think that the town is slowly dying. 
People don't care anymore Jerry. I am sorry but spending money on 
a 3 day appreciation celebration isn't going to do it. I don't know 
what the answers are, but I do pray that they come soon, because I 
see a dying town. I'm sorry. It is hard to get anyone to run for 
the council, but you need people on there that can balance a 
checkbook. The stories and rumors from other towns that you hear 
are so hurtful. La Grange could have had it all, what happened. 
Just lack of experience and knowledge I would guess. Wouldn't it 
be great to go back to just 3 years ago, the way it used to be and 
start over. Better yet, go back to before the flood of '93. Still 
had a school, businesses, more people living in La Grange. Looks 
like we took a wrong turn in the road somewhere.

La Grange is a very small town of about 1,000 souls many of whom know each other, and is VERY 
conservative. Like, is there some huge drug problem requiring a sniffer dog and a 10 month cop 
training and expenditures near $13K for the mongrel and its equipment? Is every other place on 
the main drag a "crack" house? Just wondering??? I bet you mention "crack" to most people in 
La Grange and they'd look to the ceiling or walls and start thinking about PolyFilla!

Jerry,
On a recent visit I noticed a drastic change in La Grange.
After a visit with the "Better Half's" family, we decided to 
stop in at the barn, I mean boat, and when we left, for the 
first time in a year and a half, "Barny One Bullet" nor any of 
his seven dwarfs followed me out of town. I really thought this 
was strange, in fact, I considered calling the cop shop to ask 
if I had done something to upset them. I have been under the 
impression that all visitors get a police escort when leaving 
the casino, we always have.
Anyway, it was a pleasant change to be able to concentrate more 
on the road and traffic instead of the speedometer and rearview 
mirror.
As much as I like to visit, I really don't wish to contribute 
because of a couple of being a couple of MPH over the limit.

Jerry...Ok this is too weird. A brick was thrown through Wilma's window on the night of April 10 
when the LAPD were on patrol. First off, is there any reason why Wilma's would warrant a brick 
through the window? But the LAPD didn't notice it until the evening of April 11. Ok they could 
have been asleep or on a run for donuts. Others noticed it on the afternoon of April 11 at 2 pm, but 
folks in La Grange don't report obvious bricks through windows to the cops until the afternoon after 
the throwing of said brick? Could be they thought Wilma was remodeling her window? The LAPD 
didn't notice on patrol on the 10th (donuts and coffee...burp) and not until the evening of the 11th. 
Nor did Wilma, whoever she is. Little window or small brick, or both? Fingerprinting a brick? Hope 
it wasn't an eroded old used brick. Good luck! Try DNA analysis of the sloughed-off finger cells on 
the brick, but maybe the perpetrator used gloves. What kind of town is La Grange anyway that 
such crimes take place? 

A "busted" for doing 32 mph kinda town. No wonder Canton laughs in La Grange's face. Send this 
to City Council please and ask them to smell some coffee and start being useful by educating the 
LAPD and the public about brick throwing, ridiculous traffic tickets, and other nasty misdemeanors 
they conjure up.

The world outside of La Grange is left shaking its collective head in pity and grief. God Bless 
America--it needs it!

May 8, 2004

I received a call last night from a citizen that was arrested by the LAPD. Getting arrested by the LAPD is nothing new, everyone does it. But, the caller said that he was going home and his driveway was full so he drove across a grassy area to get to his home. 

A little while later a LAPD cop came by and gave the man a ticket for violating Ordinance 240.349. I looked it up and there is no such Ordinance. There is a City Code of 240.010 to 240.310 but, there was no 240.349. Now, I did find an Ordinance number 240 and an Ordinance number 349 but, no Ordinance number 240.349.  The Officer accused the man of damaging another persons property. Just by the fact that the officer did know what code or Ordinance was appropriate, demonstrates that he does not know what he is doing in the first place. Lack of quality supervision.

I did find where there is a City Code that deals with property damage of another person but, in order to commit the offense, the person accused of doing the damage had to know that he knew he was damaging the property of another. Which also means he had to know the property he was driving on was owned by another. The arresting officer did not know either one when he gave the ticket. The officer did not have any knowledge of who owned the property.

So, even if the officer could have gotten the correct code for the correct offense, the officer would have had to see the person "knowingly" damage the property of another. 

Next, the place where the man drove his vehicle may or may not have been on another persons property. let's let you make the decision. Go to the Foundry's South parking lot. Drive over next to the big steel building. Right just outside of the building is a surveyors mark showing where the North side of Skinner street is. Skinner street is 66 feet wide. That is a lot of area.

So if you park where the trucks backed into the foundry and look straight West, you can see the tire tracks of where the man's car went up the grassy hill. It sure looks like that if Skinner street was open, he would have been driving on Skinner street. Next, just behind the old garage is where on every City map plotted shows 2nd street. Second street is also 66 feet wide. So, from the back of the old garage you look up the hill about 66 feet. It sure looks like the man's car was in one of the streets or the other and at the top of the hill, he was on his own property. Just because someone mows a piece of property, it is not a sign that the person actually owns the property.

It looks to me like the man has a very good case of false arrest. But, what can you expect from a police department with no supervision. A very good intelligent police officer would have waited until the accusing property owner showed proof of ownership with registered survey markers and then had the owner make the complaint to the City Attorney for prosecution. It is very unsettling to see il-informed officers make rash decisions. These quick rash decisions in St. Louis has cost the lives of several people. We can only Pray that something like that doesn't happen here in La Grange again, like what happened in the South trailer park a few years back. But, we all know about the fear here in La Grange. And it is that fear that someday this fear will cause a bad scene. 

May 7, 2004

It keeps on getting worse at City Hall. Rumors are flying around town hot and heavy about the Public Works Foreman. Rumor has it that a picture was taken of him sleeping on the job in the new police station. Rumors of him going to Home Depot every day to coffee with the buds. More rumors are saying that the PWF has been threatening citizens. There is another rumor that a councilwoman tried to blackmail a citizen, and force other employees to sign a pertition. Some employees are getting easy gravy jobs and little or no work because of being a councilman's son and a friend of the Queen. Other employees are ordered to do the work and are being discriminated against.

Now, the City Council is having the police to go around town knocking on doors and serving people with tickets for not paying their personal taxes on time. They can do that because most of the LAPD don't live in town and support the community that they take money from. 

The big Councilman in the South Ward is taking the City down. The next Mayor and Council may have to take the City into bankruptcy to keep afloat. The big Councilman still does not realize that more than half the money the city gets from the casino goes for police protection for the casino, and yet he spends the money like it isn't already spent. The tension of the workers and even the office employees is at a fever pitch. 

May 6, 2004

Rumors - rumors - and more rumors. One is about an employee let go at a bar. Rumor has it that the owner was tired of paying the employee to manage the city public works department. Then there is the rumor of the Public Works foreman being reprimanded and possibly fired. 

 Well, since the City Administrator will be leaving in a few days, there are other rumors that Councilman Henderson is mad that the Mayor won't pronounce him King and Councilman Cox is mad that the Mayor won't pronounce her Queen. Councilmen Hentz and White voted yes to any motion Councilman Henderson made. If you look real close at any council meeting you will see this real fine wire tied to Henderson's arm that goes over to White's and then Henze, so when Henderson raises his arm to vote, White and Henzee does too. 

I heard that if you own Wendy's restaurants, you can get City employees to come by and spray weed killer on your property, or the street are near you property and maybe some over spray on your property. But, if you live directly across the street. Tough.

If you want to see what a poppy field would look like, drive north of town to the property "Police Officers Own" and take a look at all those dandelions. If that was your property or mine the POLICE would be issuing you a summons and the City would rush to mow it at $60.00 an hour.

May 4, 2004

Rumors have been running fast and furious this past week about the LAPD. The best I can do is to say that the rumor is that the Police Chief and the Police Lieutenant didn't communicate very well in regards to the day if the funeral of Dade. Even though there seem to be some other internal problems, a lot of people in La Grange are very upset, including a few who support the chief, about how the chief handled the situation. But, a whole lot of people are perplexed about the actions of the City Council. Actually, there are a lot of pissed off people.

It seems when one of the three bosses gets a boner for an employee, or Mayor, or City Administrator, then all three jump on board. I used to think that "no prayer here" and "pave my drive free", were the worst possible council people that the people of La Grange had ever seen. BUT NOW, I have to change my mind. There are three council people who don't care that they are running the town into bankruptcy, they have no sense of right or wrong, or fair play, or the people of La Grange. If there isn't a change come the next election next year, it is very possible that with over a million dollars a year of income the City may be filing chapter 11 and go into receivership.

The City took control of the Ball Park for the NEXT 25 YEARS, and already it looks like an old field with weeds and trash. So much for bettering the ball park. You can kiss the ball park good-bye like Oyster Park and the old city hall and the Scouts building. All for monuments being built for the legacy of a couple of council people.

May 2, 2004

Ruth Minor is in the Lewis County Nursing home now for a few weeks.  Room 509.

6am Sunday morning, a LAPD officer was coming into town from Canton with his radar on. Why? I  received an email about the City taking control of the Ball Park and the emailer wants to know when the City is going to mow the grass. I received another email about the abandoned trailers and what the City is going to do about them.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with me." --Revelation 3:20

In La Grange, if the Police knock on your door, don't open it.

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