November 29, 2002

Happy shopping on this big shopping day. At least for those of you who have made it through the radar trap on the north end of La Grange this morning. 

EMAIL:    I think all rules that apply to us, should apply to cops also (if not in pursuit of someone). In the past 2 weeks i have seen police car go through stop sign near my house.........not once, but 3 times......not even hit brakes to slow down...just drive on through like there no  STOP sign at all there... No siren on  or anything, just driving along ..........go right through like he owns the joint.. that's not right.........

November 28, 2002

You would think everyone would be having a happy Thanksgiving today. Everyone is, except the unlucky ones who come to La Grange. The La Grange COPS want to make sure the anyone who comes to La Grange are as miserable as they are, so they make stop after stop after stop. Maybe if we were all like State Trooper Charlie Jones, we could all speed through town without worrying about he COPS stopping us.

November 26, 2002

I attended last night's council meeting. It will take me a little time to figure them out.

The La Grange Community Youth Center has elected new officers that will take over January 1. Derl Bowman President, Dennis Boden Vice President, Theresa Gunsals Treasurer, Linda Brandt Secretary. There were also new volunteers, Sharon Feldkamp, Theresa banner, Theresa Chatfield, Theresa Gunsals, and Eddie and Cindy Casey. More volunteers are really needed, is your kid involved?

A person just emailed me about the Gossip Page. The emailer stated that they talked to a couple of Council persons about what was printed here. The emailer said to me that they were stunned - (STUNNED) to hear these Council persons tell them that they deliberately do not read this page. The emailer asked why the councilperson did not read this page and use it to their advantage and was told that the opinions of the people who provide the information for the Gossip Page were ignorant. 

Is this what your Councilperson thinks of you? That you are ignorant? Here are some facts for the councilperson.

So far, for the month of November there were over 21800 hits. That is over 700 hits each day of people looking at the gossip page. An average of 36 people an HOUR are looking at what is here. 175 hits were from a school. 172 hits were from a military computer. 95 were from a non-profit organization. 62 were from a government computer, and there were hits from 22 foreign Countries. There were several this month from Casino related news magazines and organizations looking for information on the Casino. This has been a slow month. Past statistics show that past months have all been higher in hits.

So, to the Council Person who says the Gossip Page is irrelevant, maybe you and the New One should think again.

November 25, 2002

The New One may unknowingly be violating UNFAIR Trade Laws. I can see the Mayor doing it, but the New One is supposedly College educated, but I guess business law wasn't a requirement. Maybe he should look up unethical behavior and bid laws, which some of the practices violates Unfair Trade practices. 

Is the Fire Chief floating rules to the City Council that are not really laws?? Some of his Fire Fighters National Standards he has been spouting to the Council are (surprise) made up by the National Fire Protection Association which has been trying to force Cities to accept their own (made up) standards. NO OTHER CITY in the Country have adopted these (made up) standards. Have the City Council been taken for a ride?? A person would think that the educated New One would have investigated this.

At the last Council Meeting, MEECO bid several thousand dollars to do a test and study of the City Sewer Systems. But, the Council chose Klingner Associates who bid $0 ZERO dollars to do the same study. Hello, City Council, is anyone awake?

Take for instance. The Engineer for Klingners did NOT KNOW, that BFI has been dumping thousands of gallons of Leachate from the landfill into the City sewer. AND, he did not know he was improperly dumping the stuff straight into the sewer plant causing the plant to be out of compliance with the DNR regulations, which is causing the DNR to want to force the City (you the people) to pay for a new sewer plant. DUH!

Here again, the college educated NEW ONE has no idea what is going on. And, because of his college education in some degree not related to running the City, the People of La Grange are going to end up paying. 

November 23, 2002

SAY IT AIN'T SO!

Tell me that the NEW ATTORNEY didn't make this ruling. Tell me that the Council members didn't do what is morally right? Rumor has it that the Chamber of Commerce asked the City Council if they would provide the apples for Santa Claus to give the kids for Christmas. Rumor has it that the NEW ONE asked for a ruling from the NEW CITY ATTORNEY and was told the City cannot give the apples for Christmas. Any good Mayor would have disregarded the ambiguous ruling and go ahead and give the kids apples. Any good Councilman would see that it also was done.

If this is true and with the City having a MILLION dollars in the bank and refuse Christmas for the kids, it has to be the most pathetic City Administration in the history of La Grange.

EMAILS::

>I was stopped for not yielding at a yield sign. I was traveling 15 mph and there was no traffic to yield to. They searched my car for guns and drugs. They said for their protection. Do they really think I might beat them up with a large bag of drugs or if I owned a gun shoot them over the verbal warning I got ?Thanks for providing a shoulder to cry on. Please don't post my name. I would not want my door kicked in at 3:30 in the morning for being a smart ass.

>Hi Jerry, This is another e-mail that you can put on the gossip page about our police department. I have worked with law enforcement for many years.  We  worked together to help clean La Grange up.  At one time you could buy drugs on main street, teens had no problem getting alcohol and drank on the  streets, abuse, run-aways, you name it, happened in La Grange. You  couldn't drive through second street on the weekends because of the drinking and  gambling.   Break-ins and robbery were terrible.   This  isn't just speculation.  I saw it done,  I watched it, and was a  victim of the stealing both at my home and the youth center. Halloween was  anything but a enjoyable evening for families.  You felt that you had to  set up all night and watch your house for practical jokes.  Pumpkins were  smashed all over town. We don't have this anymore.  Yes, the youth  center has made a difference, put so has the police department.  Yes, we  have had officers that had no business wearing a police uniform and maybe we still have some that don't credit the badge that they wear. That to is a  matter that I am sure it being worked out.  But, we do have some good  officers.  I for one do not like to hear about visitors being stopped for  no reason.  If this is being done, it needs to stop.  I am sure  that the police committee, police chief, and city administrator  will  take those complaints at heart and check into it.  There is always two  sides to a story.  Please encourage people to come and visit our small  river town.  We still have a few small businesses that give that good  old neighborly service.  A town where you can receive a pleasant smile  and a  friendly hell-o.  With everyone working together it can be  the best small town in Missouri.  As they say, bad things only happen when  good people stand by and don't do something about the problems.  "United We Stand, Divided We Fall."  Everyone do you best, and be proud.

Jerry, I am mad. I just got home and searched the internet for the La Grange website and found the Gossip Page. I want everyone in the world to know about my experience in going to the Casino in La Grange. On my way to the Casino, I was stopped by the La Grange police for speeding (38 in a 30), even though I was given a warning, he kept me for the better part of a half and hour running all my licenses. Then I go and donate a couple hundred to the casino. And on my way home, going through La Grange, I get stopped again, and again another half hour shot. All it was, was pure harassment. It is closer to me to go to Catfish Bend and from now on, that is where I will go. I will never ever go to La Grange again and I plan to tell everyone I see at Catfish Bend about the La Grange Police.

I got a kick about the email from the person from Colorado driving through LaGrange.  When I come into town I ALWAYS feel like I am just a deer in a scope-- ha!  Have never been stopped, but always see the police around. And I watch my speedometer faithfully! And I feel very conspicuous because of my Colorado plates. 

>WHAT is La Grange doing with all the income it is getting off the casino??? Does anyone know?? Where are you going for Coffee now in La Grange???  Somewhere beside the casino, aren't you??

If you will look a little lower on the Gossip Page you will see where the City is putting a lot of money putting sidewalks and collection boxes in the streets.

We all have coffee at the best place in town for breakfast. WILMA'S. 

November 22, 2002

Am I lucky or what?

I have a kidney operation and the hospital said I overpaid my bill and sent me refund check. The insurance company contacts me and tells me they have been overcharging me on my premiums and sent me a check and now I get this email.

The email goes on to say that my relative Ed left $9 million dollars. All I have to do is go to Nigeria with $100,000 to pay off the officials and him to collect my millions. Anyone want to take my place, put up the money and split 50/50?

November 21, 2002

Yesterday I asked about what and why the police were searching for a pickup truck. Well, this morning, with nine emails and one call, I found out why. It seems a person walked into the Casino all bloodied up and said he was in an accident. Supposedly, he didn't know where, so the LAPD, sheriff, state, fire, all went looking. They looked North, East, South, and West of town, on all the roads, and I guess except route b coming into the casino. After many hours of searching all the back roads, it was found just South of Richter's.

Speaking of Searches. Here is another Dumb and dumber. Rumor has it that a neighbor of mine was approached by the LAPD and was told that "a credible witness" said that there was a meth lab on his property. Now, I thought the property owner was a sharp guy, but, here is the DUMB part. He says for them to go ahead and search. Dear Dumb, tell me, just who do you think they would have arrested if the had actually found any part of a meth lab on your property?? Someone else? And now the DUMBER part.  The officers, in the evening, put on their black swat team outfits, during deer season and then go traipsing around the woods not far from several deer stands.

This morning while walking to the coffee shop, I see a police car come to the stop light. As it was stopping I could here the brakes squealing and they sounded like big trucks brakes grinding. I stopped the officer to tell him about the brakes and he said that he knew it but the City mechanic said they were ok. Makes your head spin. A police car. bad brakes. high speed emergency. Hello, is the Chairperson of the Police Committee awake? Or, is she too busy paying twice as much for other property?

November 20, 2002

When this page isn't updated on time, the emails come in hot and heavy wanting to know what's wrong. Sometimes there is nothing that is pressing to put on so I save it till a more interesting thing comes along like today.

The first thing to report is a DEAD DOG. Rumor has it that the City picked up someone's dog and put it in the City dog pound. The people who owned the dog were franticly trying to find their dog. It is rumored that the dog tried to get out of the dog pound on its own and someone got caught and hung itself and died.

What is going to happen and would should happen at this point in time will be two entirely different things. what will happen is the people will be pissed, the City will deny any responsibility, they will claim it was an accident and that the owner is at fault for not keeping the dog confined. The City lawyer will defend the city with all the money the city can throw at him.

What should happen is this....  There is such a thing as "care, custody, and control". No matter whether you borrow a friends car or the City catches your dog. Once the City caught the dog, it was under the "care, custody and control". Whoever was in charge of taking care of the caught dogs failed to take measures to insure the dog's safety. SO, the MAYOR or the CITY ADMINISTRATOR should immediately contact the owner of the dog and offer a sincere apology  and offer the dog owner the choice of the City buying another dog to replace the dog or pay for the dog or ask the owner what the City can do to rectify the situation. At no time should the City deny responsibility and or blame the dog owner. Just contact the people and make it right. And you know what, I have no idea who the people are.

CLICK HERE, to see a picture of the NEW box to put your water bill in. The Council felt it would be too much of a strain for the people to get out of their car and go up to the building to pay their water bill and put this one out on the street.

In this picture you will see that it on the corner and they put two steel poles on either side to keep someone from running into it. I also noticed that all the police officers have been driving around it and checking it out. Rumor has it that they can see it from the police station and when someone goes to put their money in the box, they have to drive on the wrong side of the street and cut the corner. Two Violations at one time. Such a deal.

Why were the police and firemen running all over the City and Country roads this morning? Anyone know?

November 17, 2002

The New One decided that putting the sidewalk out in the street was a little much, so he decided to try to fix the mistake. Here are a couple of pictures to show how he fixed the mistake. CLICK HERE & CLICK HERE.

Rumor has it that since he also realized the the two new mistakes will come to light when the snow plow runs over them, he has decided to put cold asphalt down next week. Well, that is so they can re-asphalt it next year. 

Rumor has it that a COP was sitting by the old Imperial today with his trap going when a prominent citizen came up the road taking the kids to see grandma. In talking to the citizen, I was told that the citizen saw the patrol car way down the road and checked the speed. BUT, the COP was not deterred by the citizen driving slow, he chased the citizen while the citizen was turning at the gas station and made his stop. He ran the citizens drivers license two different ways trying to find something wrong. Then tried to accuse the citizen of doing 40 in a 40 mile zone, but was showing how good he was by letting the citizen off with a verbal warning. Wasn't that just great?

Harass another citizen that has lived here all their life. Try to make it out that the citizen was breaking the law and then graciously allowing the citizen to go with a warning. Harass, harass, harass. Why don't they harass Elaine White, or Steve Griesbaum or one of the other Councilmen?

If Elaine White doesn't do the job of being the Police Committee chairmen any better than she has been doing, the next election may be her last. The people are getting tired of being harassed and they will elect someone to put a stop to the continuing harassment of the COPS.

Yeah COP, I know your sign is a block too far North and you use it to harass the people. One of these days you will arrest someone with that illegal speed sign and that person will have the time and money to teach you a lesson in law. One of these days one of you will make a mistake to arrest someone with one of your illegal stop signs and get taught another lesson in law.

EMAILS

Who would have thought LaGrange would have so much drama for small town? Being an occasional tourist in Lewis County and having some old family friends living in LaGrange I get a kick out of your gossip page. Sorry to see things seemingly "going to heck in a hand-basket."   I will certainly be sure NOT to drive within the city limits next visit. Bet those "Barney's" would be extra suspicious of Colorado plates.  I am usually more over toward Monticello when I get out to Lewis County.  They just stare at you though. Too bad Lewistown or Canton doesn't have someone like you to keep them informed.

Jerry,
What is the matter with your City fathers? Why can't anyone control the police? We have been going to the casino two and three times a week since it opened and we have been stopped by the police 3 times. Twice in the last month. My husband and I have now decided that from now on we will go to Catfish Bend. At least we won't be harassed by the police going or coming.

Is the New One spending YOUR MONEY recklessly?
Rumor has it that he purchased property for the City at about twice what it was offered for.

How close can two city employees be? After hours? Naughty Naughty!

November 14, 2002

The New one and the Fire Chief and the Police Lieutenant are out to make you a criminal!

They are pushing your councilperson to pass a new open burning ordinance. Although as usual, some of the clauses are acceptable, but they worded others to make it nonsenseble so that you will make the mistake and be ARRESTED.

Arrested by who? ENFORCEMENT. ANY POLICE OFFICER AND THE FIRE CHIEF.

The City has a fire chief that lives outside of the City so he can burn whatever he wants, anytime he wants, without the risk of being arrested by the LAPD. BUT, the Chief will be able to come to La Grange and ARREST YOU any time he wants in regards to the new Ordinance.

1. You will be allowed "Open burning of household yard wastes originating on the premises from four dwellings or less and burned on the same premises". HOW IN THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO GET YARD WASTE OUT OF A DWELLING?

"This does not include yard wastes from the intentional demolish or land clearing of trees, shrubs, brushes or other vegetation."

I GUESS NOW YOU MUST ACCIDENTALLY CUT YOUR TREE OR BRUSH

AND in recreational purposes, "FIRES FOR COMMERCIAL PREPARATION OF FOOD WILL NOT BE ALLOWED.

Well, there goes the Chicken bar-b-que.

BUT, The fire chief has it where he can burn anything he wants in the city and call it "TRAINING"

HOUSEHOLD REFUSE "Fires and open burning of household (refuse) will be allowed only when it is established that open burning is the only feasible method of disposal".

NEW ONE:  Define household refuse: Is that the same or different than household yard wastes??

You can't produce enough smoke to impair your or anyone else's driving.

You can't burn in any street or alley in town. "what about alleys and streets that aren't there or open??

You can't used any tires or waste oil or fuel to start your fire.

Fire has to be attended at all times by someone over 16.

50 FEET from a building. Most lots are 60 by 120. GOOD LUCK

AND YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE CHIEF WILL BE ON HIGH ALERT TO ARREST YOU.

The New City Administrator with the help of the Fire Chief GREG HEINDSELMAN and the GESTAPO Police Department have cleverly designed by refusing to use plain language, a new open burning Ordinance to make the people of La Grange CRIMINALS. Just so they have another law to ARREST YOU. 

IT IS A DAMN SHAME that the People on the City Council cannot see how much damage the La Grange Police Department has done to La Grange. And now, the Council plans on heaping more abuse on the businesses and people of La Grange. What are they going to do when ALL the businesses in La Grange close? How many more people do they have to run out of town? 

November 13, 2002

A person in town was having trouble with his neighbors parking every vehicle they own out on the street. That itself wasn't so bad except they parked their vehicles so he or anyone who visits him cannot pull into his drive and then back out without several tries to keep from hitting one of the neighbors cars. He complained to La Grange's finest and they investigated and found that there is no Ordinance prohibiting you from parking on any street if you give at least a 10 foot wide area for other cars to pass. 

I looked it up and they are right. You can legally park your vehicle in the road area of any street for any length of time without breaking any laws. But, in searching for an answer for the guy complaining, I found that the police have violated several Ordinances themselves. They placed illegal stop signs at Eighth and Pierce in violation of section 335.010. They placed illegal stop signs on third and Wyaconda. They placed illegal speed limit signs just North of the Foundry.

So how does a person driving around town know that some of these regulatory signs are illegal? Just read the Gossip page.

In response to the problem above, officers went to this guys home, note, I said officer(s). One officer was not enough to talk to the guy. They have to travel in packs. Plus, they came with their bullet proof vests on. Fear.

The guy asked my advice. I told him to park his vehicles on the other side of the street, just so there is enough room for traffic to move an park so that the neighbors have trouble getting out of their garage they rarely use for parking. If it is legal for them, then it is legal for him. This has been done for years up by the school house.

A real good City Administrator would say to himself, this needs to be looked into. He could also say, this would be a better Ordinance to write than the harassing burning Ordinance.

Also, I saw that there is an Ordinance that records be kept on file of each traffic stop and/or arrest. Therefore, there should be no reason that the Police Chief or Lieutenant provide to the City Council a monthly report showing each day with every stop made, by which officer, and what the result was. Something like November 1. 118 - speeding - warning - 118  - speeding - warning - 118 - speeding - ticket - 118 - no turn signal - ticket - 118 - search for drugs - no action. This report should give the Police committee chairperson - Elaine White and the Council a breakdown as to which officers are harassing the people.

Now, I just want everyone to know that Nina Painter is out of the hospital and has been down for coffee in the mornings as usual. Daughter Bea has been the chauffer.

November 12, 2002

At the Council meeting tonight, Tim Rossiter brought up that the treasurers report was difficult to track the transfers and other transactions. In talking to the clerk, I found that the software the Office girls are using is antique and they do not have Microsoft Office which has Word and Excel. She agreed that Excel would make the treasurers report much easier to do, but, it seems the new one has other things on his mind, you know like passing that No burning Ordinance to make you a criminal.

The committee report says that the mineral well is now running at 6 gallon a minute. Another committee report discussed putting new concrete where the old fire station was and building another shelter house there.

In the water/sewer committee report MECO Engineering bid $14,000 to retest the sewer system and Klingner Associated bid $0. Nothing to do it. So the Council voted to let Klingner do it. WHY?

The council voted to by the Special Road District's red truck with snowplow and sander for $26,500.

And then they got onto allowing a four wheel vehicle push snow of the City sidewalks downtown. They voted NOT to let a vehicle clean the sidewalks as they were planning to put in new sidewalks and new street lights sometime.

I think they made a big mistake. Here a concerned citizen was doing the swipe of the sidewalks FREE and they kick him in the butt. Wait till it snows. 

The new one said the City needed a new copy machine and new computers. Does anyone want to take a guess how far away he will spend the peoples money out of town. We will wait till he buys these items way far away like he did the chain saw and tree trimmer and then tell you how much he spent to do business out of town. 

He still refuses to update the City Code book. He still refuses to redraw the wards as required by law.   

Today is supposed to be the last day for the Foundry. Let everyone in town pray that all get better jobs somewhere else. 

It's a damn shame. 

1000 A DAY

Take to remember and thank a veteran. They are dying at a rate of 1000 each and every day.

November 10, 2002

In response to all the emails and phone calls, the LAPD harassment patrol was on duty in force last Friday night and last night and having the time of their lives. Here a stop. There a stop. Everywhere a stop.  Rumor has it that Curly, the lady cop can't make a stop without at least two and in one case Friday evening three backup cars. Rumor has it they are so scared that they ride around town "during the day" two in a car.

Will La Grange ever get a Mayor? Will La Grange ever get a City manager? Will La Grange ever get a police chief that can put a stop to all this harassment? Three people have said that if they ever stop them without a just cause, there will be a lawsuit.

Did you get a letter from CenturyTel?  5 cents a minute. Is that right? All for only $4.95 a month. Use Excel or Lotus and tell me how many minutes you have to use to get anywhere close to 5 cents a minute. What a joke! For instance, your first one minute call comes to $4.95 plus 5 cents or that call cost $5.00. Call for ten minutes. 5 cents times 10 minutes equals 50 cents plus $4.95. Comes to $5.45. divide that by ten minutes and you get 54 and a half cents a minute. 100 minutes at $9.95. comes to almost 10 cents a minute. 1000 minutes only gets it down to a little less than 6 cents. for true 5 cents a minute goto everdial.com.

November 8, 2002

Don't forget lunch and GOD'S portion Sale at the Methodist church tomorrow

Do you see how many times the word GOD is mentioned on this page? I'll bet it drives "no prayer here" crazy.

Here is a tip for the La Grange City Council and especially the new one. St. Charles Missouri has a river boat that they paid $300,000 for and now they are almost willing to give it away. This could possibly be the tourist attraction that, La Grange was originally promised by Dean Phillips, Ralph Fartin, Fred Weewel, and Jerry Murphy, that is needed to attract the gamblers and others to downtown La Grange. It could be purchased, fixed up, leased out to have river cruises and dinner cruises or permanently moored downtown for a nice restaurant like the old Pete's Boat House.

November 7, 2002

Have you been out and around town lately? How about taking a cruise down by the new City Hall, well, in back of the new City Hall. It looks like the street from Main to Second got a lot smaller. If you take a look at this picture, you may wonder just how you will be able to get by the new sidewalk sticking out in the street so far and so high. CLICK HERE It looks like it is half way across the street

Wait till you see the new $1000 plus box that will be placed at the new city hall for you to put your water bill payment in.

Today, I watched as the City had a well driller come to town to redrill the well. He came once and looked at the well, but I was told today that he didn't look up and see the power lines overhead. So, the well drillers bought some pipe and got a big portable air compressor and pumped air down the hole which blew out the water and stirred up a lot of black crud. CLICK HERE . This simple procedure looked easy enough for the water super to do. But, wouldn't have been better to run a high pressure fire house down there to not only stir up the black crud, but also wash it out the top. The pictures shows the well boiling over, but that only lasted a couple of minutes until the air blew out all it could over the top, then it just boiled up and down in the pipe.

If you have a minute in the next few days, give Nina Painter a call and visit.

November 5, 2002  Election Day

Today is in reference to the new one (City Administrator). The employees put out their cigarettes that they smoke in the doorway so they don't get too cold, or too hot, or too wet, or too dry, in a container just outside the door. Well, the rumor is that the new one went out and cleaned out those old smelly cigarette buts and out them in a plastic bag. So far so good. But the watchers noticed that he just threw the bag on the ground beside the building.

Number two: When you go to town. Drive by the south side of the old LRO building or new City Hall. You will notice the city building a sidewalk clear out into the street. If you are anyone else in town did that, the new one would be having the City crew dig up your work. Will someone tell me just what college the new one went to? Was it Berkley California?

For the New One. Pay attention now. Belleville Il. A business there was helped by the City providing $17,500 for relocation of a storm sewer line. Let's see now, we have a new manufacturing plant wanting to expand but the City refuses to even provide city sewerage to it. That flies into the face of the new ones statements at the Chamber Dinner meeting.

A used car dealership in Belleville received direct financial payment of $12,000 for assistance and another $20,00 in improvements around the site.

A building materials company received direct financial payment of $11,000 and provisions for sales tax abatement.

What has the new one done for the City or any business in La Grange lately? Let's see now. He went to Wal-Mart in Hannibal and bought a chain saw that could have been in town. He went to Quincy and bought a Powered tree trimmer he could have purchased in town. He is buying software for the City computers he could have purchased in town. And each of these cases, he probably could have saved money and had free support. 

And now he wants to screw the people over with his new burn Ordinance and his and Mayor Lagoons moving the sewer plant for the Casino at your expense.  

Don't forget the GOD's portion Sale Saturday

November 4, 2002

In my home course on law, I came to contracts. One of the parts was change orders, and who is responsible and what happens when a contractor gets a change order from someone that was not authorized to make the change order. Why this particular thing caught my attention was all the change orders at the new City Hall.

Rumor has it that the officer on duty yesterday stopped a young lady, not once but twice, and suggested she was hiding drugs in her car. I thought that she was dumb for allowing him to search her car without a warrant, but, most people don't know better. She should have never, never allowed that officer to search her car. I don't care if you have nothing to hide, nor have anything at all that could be considered illegal or immoral, that officer had no right to ask for the search and she should never had allowed it to happen.

DO NOT EVER, EVER ALLOW ANY POLICE OFFICER TO enter your home to even ask questions or just talk, or search your car without an attorney present. If an officer comes to your door to talk, go outside, do not allow the officer inside. You have no idea what these officers (especially La Grange Police Officers) might see and misconstrue as to what is illegal or not. Something like an insulin needle can bring havok on your family. A Playboy magazine and child will bring the wrath of the Department of Family Services and years of Courts. I can vouch for this personally.

Charlie Jones, A Missouri Highway Patrolman came to my home in 1989. He was standing outside a sliding glass door. All he wanted to do was just step inside the sliding glass door to see what he could see outside the door better. He said to my wife, "You do trust a Missouri Highway Patrolman don't you?"  Once the door was opened and he stepped inside, my home was searched from top to bottom for drugs, weapons, pornography, anything, anything they could use against me and my family. I will never ever forget what Charlie Jones and the Division of Family Services and the Juvenile Officer Mike Waddle and Kathleen Humphries did to my family that night. Never. Protect yourself by using my experiences.

Officer Warner was a busy one Sunday. It seems to him that no one could drive through La Grange safely and needed to be stopped. He made stop after stop after stop all afternoon and into the evening and night. I had a few customers stop by and I warned them to take the North exit out of town or go over the hill or risked getting stopped. 

If you missed the good fixins at the Lutheran Church Yesterday, you missed one great thanksgiving meal. Emails and phone calls say that it was one of the best meals they have had in a long time. MAYBE, just maybe the Chamber of Commerce will want the Lutherans to do the next Chamber Dinner.  hint hint

Another good bunch of cooks will have lunch ready at 11:00 am next Saturday. But you will to get there on time as it will end at 12:30 but, they will allow carry outs. And, don't forget to participate in their God's Portion Sale. This will all happen at the United Methodist Church next Saturday.

The La Grange Community Youth Center is continually thanking the Methodist Church for their relentless and continuous generous support they give to the children of La Grange. With Betty being gone, it would seem that this would be an excellent time for the other Churches of La Grange step in and lend support and volunteers to keep this excellent asset for the People of La Grange going. If all the Churches step up to the plate, it would not take much time or effort of any one church to help out. Someone needs to get the churches together to do this.

Yesterday was the first fire call to the Foundry. Firemen and police surrounded the building and only found a faulty fire alarm.

November 2, 2002

Rumor has it that this Halloween was one of the lowest count of kids on the street trick or treating. One emailer said that even though they thought that there were enough police out to protect the town, the kids were worried they would be targeted and didn't go out.

If you want to see how dirty Juvenile Officer Mike Waddle can be, just watch Charlie Sharps video on TV. 

The City Administrator goes to Quincy to buy a gas tree trimmer and never asked a local business for a bid. WHY? Because he didn't have to seek a bid on less then $5,000. He goes to WAL-MART to buy a chain saw and never asked a local business for a bid. He goes to out of town for new software for the City Computers and never asked a local business for a bid.

It doesn't bother the City Administrator at all. He will still get his $600.00 pay check next week.