Other blog, online journal

For anyone from the electronic resources class, please visit my other blog for regular postings CLICK HERE. Feel free to explore, but this blog is mostly for my news writing and stories.

St. Charles Barber College

Feature I wrote about a barber college in St. Charles, Mo. First published in First Capitol News Nov. 4- 17, 2006

There’s an old vision of the way a barber shop used to operate, a place where people can take a load off, forget about their struggles, stresses of their lives and unwind. This is the barber shop Leo Price would like to bring back. This is why Price opened The St. Charles Barber College last January.
“The profession [barbers] has been slacking a bit, it’s lost its professional side,” Price said. “Barbers used to be counselors, a respected member of the community.”
The eight month program teaches students the knowledge and skills necessary to own or manage a barber shop. The school day begins with two hours of theory or book learning. Then six hours of “shop” training, this is where the students apply what they have learned to customers.
In addition to running a college, Price also runs a full-service barber shop. Hair-cuts are $6.50. The students are always supervised by the instructors.
“We make sure the customers are taken care of, as far as getting the right service,” Price said.
The college also prepares students for the Missouri Barber Examination, the exam to obtain a barber’s license. The license is good throughout the entire United States.
“It’s basically a universal license,” Price said. “It’s good to have.”
The shop features 11 barber stations for the students to perfect their skill.
“It’s a fairly small school,” Price said. “But you form good close relationships with students and there’s a lot of one-on-one training.”
The theory or book learning part is very important. Price added students must first have to the basic knowledge before they can apply it to customers.
“When you get the theory down it ties into the physical, hands on part of the job,” Price said. “When you understand what goes on with the hair and the head shapes, it helps the students so much when they go on the floor.”
Price stresses diversity when training his students. The college covers all different hair styles, flat tops, taper cuts, fades and learn to cut for all different types of races and people.
“By St. Charles being a mixture of different types of people it exposes the students to all hair types,” Price said.
St. Charles Barber College has open enrollment. All prospective students must be of 17 years old and have a high school diploma or a GED. There is also a $100 fee at the time of enrollment.
Student Deidre Wynn joined the college in June and plans on opening her own shop. Before joining the college Wynn worked in a pharmacy.
“Everyone here is very professional and easy to talk to, the college is very convenient,” Wynn said.
Price has seven years experience and owns Desi’s Sports Barber shop in here in town. The college is the first of its kind in St. Charles. Prince runs the college with his brother Leonardo R. Price. The college is located at 1022 South Benton. For more information about the college call: (636) 724-7670 or stcbarbercollege.com.

Indian Camp Creek

Park opening I wrote for First Capitol News.

St. Charles County Executive Joe Ortwerth shivered as he and St. Charles County Park’s Director Bettie Yahn-Kramer officially opened Indian Camp Creek on a cold Thursday afternoon. Situated at the confluence of Big Creek and Indian Camp Creek, the 603-acre facility is the largest park in the county’s system and is the sixth park opened since the department was founded in 1997.
“Today’s opening of Indian Camp Creek Park is a major milestone for the St. Charles County parks’ system,” Ortwerth said. “We are pleased to offer residents another 600 acres of natural parkland that celebrates both the environment and the area’s history.”
Ortwerth went on to say that the park was meant to be a multi-county park, to be used by members of surrounding counties.
The opening celebration was led by Ortwerth, Yahn-Kramer, members of the architectural, engineering, construction teams and special guests. Guests toured the facility and a special exhibition by creatures rehabilitated at The World Bird Sanctuary. One of the animals featured was Adam, a Harris Hawk.
“With its thick forest, undulating terrain, and diverse ecosystem, this area leant itself well to a number of different features that were created with little outside development,” Yahn-Kramer said. “We’re excited to offer more than 10 miles (when completed) of multi-use, natural trail.”
Located one mile west of Highway 61 on Dietrich Road, Indian Camp Creek Park offers a number of amenities not currently offered within the county. The trail already has five miles completed with another five miles to be completed next spring in the second phase of the project. The trail will be open to hiking, biking and horseback riding In addition to the trail there is also protected prairie and several picnic shelters available for rent. The park will also have an eco-playground, which has play structures and observation areas.
Phase two project will create the county’s first youth group camping area, establish the Toth Nature Preserve to protect the native flora and fauna and restore a heritage area that focuses on the homesteaders who settled in the area in the early 19th century. Phase two is expected to be completed next summer.
A six-acre pond stocked with bluegill, bass, and catfish is expected to open for catch-and-release fishing in 2009, when the species reach maturation.
Development of the park began in 2001, when the first parcel of land (525 acres) was purchased by St. Charles County from Paul Hunt for approximately $3.7 million. Additional land acquisitions then increased the park to its current 603-acre size.

Link to First Captiol News

Be Careful who you flash

Be Careful Who You Flash

An investigative story I wrote for First Capitol News Nov. 18-Dec 1, 2006


Normally when someone gets pulled over it’s for speeding or other minor violations, not so for one St. Charles County resident. Mike Klos, an auto service technician at Lewis and Clark Career Center, was issued three different tickets from two different police officers. One ticket was from New Melle and two were from the St. Charles County Sheriff’s department, for flashing his high beams.
According to Klos he was with his wife and two children driving home from New Melle northbound on Highway Z, when he saw a motorist with their high beams on. Klos flashed his high beams to alert the other motorist, seconds later he was pulled over. The police officers thought he was warning other drivers of a speed trap.
Klos said he tried to explain to the officers he was warning another motorist they had their high beams on, but they didn’t listen.
“I was told that I was illegally flashing my lights to warn other cars of radar,” he said. I attempted to ask about the radar but was told rudely and abruptly to ‘shut up or you’re going to jail’”.
Klos also complained that the officers were rude to his wife and children. One of the officers allegedly said “too bad you are going to miss Halloween with them [his children], since one of Klos’ court dates was on Halloween.
“I’m a regular old guy,” Klos said. “Not some punk kid with a smart mouth.”
Klos was issued two citations from New Melle one for unlawful use of high beams and failure to properly display registration tabs on license plates. St. Charles County Sheriff’s Deputy also issued citations, they were later dropped.
When asked if issuing a citation for flashing high beams was excessive Aaron Burkemper, New Melle Chief of Police, said, “not at all, it was up to the discretion of the officer.”
According to the Missouri stature 307.070: Every person driving a motor vehicle equipped with multiple-beam road lighting equipment, during the times when lighted lamps are required, shall use a distribution of light, or composite beam, directed high enough and of sufficient intensity to reveal persons and vehicles at a safe distance in advance of the vehicle, subject to the following requirements and limitations: Whenever the driver of a vehicle approaches an oncoming vehicle within five hundred feet, or is within three hundred feet to the rear of another vehicle traveling in the same direction.
Darren Marhanka, Professor of Criminal Justice at Lindenwood University, said that it's not uncommon to issue a citation for warning other motorists of radar. But it was uncommon for two different jurisdictions to issue the same citation.
“Usually one jurisdiction will defer to the other,” he said. “That is really unusual, I’ve never heard of that.”
Before becoming a professor, Marhanka was a police officer in North St. Louis County for 18 years. Marhanka said he used to write citations for motorists warning of radar.
Klos said he was pulled over approximately two miles outside of New Melle’s jurisdiction. According to Burkemper, if the violation happens within the officer’s jurisdiction, the officer is allowed to follow the suspect for a few miles.
“Sometimes it’s safer to wait until they are outside of jurisdiction to make a stop,” Burkemper said. “Some of the roads out here are not safe to stop on.”
Said Klos, “They do what they want out there [in New Melle] and nobody does anything about it.”
Marhanka has this to add.“If he was flashing his lights to notify another motorist of potential danger [driver with no lights on] then it would be alright,” he said. “Yes it’s against the law, but if you see a person drowning in the middle of a lake and the lake says no swimming, do you jump in there to save them or do you just let them drown?”

Link to First Capitol News.

HTML

I'm learning HTML, which is pretty interesting. Sort of like math in less demonic fashion. Neat stuff.

Here's a link to to funny stuff!

President Bush's Ranch

A opinion column I published in the Florissant Valley Forum last year, enjoy.


Not to long ago I was spending some time with the president on his Ranch in Texas. We where sitting on his back porch, sipping lemonade and immersed in a deep discussion on a variety of topics. Really you should see it, his ranch is quite lovely, well It has to be, I mean he’s the president, ruler of all the free world, anyway the sun was just beginning to set giving the late Texas shy a orange hazy look, the wayward tree’s swayed back and forth dropping leaves on the unsuspecting beautiful, lush green grass. We where silent for a moment until I began to speak:

“So George (were on a first name basis) how do you sleep at night? I mean you created an unjust war, even after most of your military advisors told you this cluster would occur, changed your reason for wanting to invade Iraq several times, invaded good people’s privacy, really you must have some good stuff in the White house medicine cabinet.”

The president was not upset at all by my remark in fact his round face made a little smirk exposing several age lines on his forehead.

“See Dan that’s the beautiful thing about uncertainly, you never really know, or understand the truth. How do you know the war is unjust?”

I paused and sat there a moment until I replied:

“Well you or anyone else hasn’t really sold me on this idea, Is Iraq really a threat to us? Sure didn’t look like seem like it. I mean come on there where no weapons of mass destruction found, no major chemical weapons located, what gives? I have friends stationed over there and they have no idea what’s going on, half the time their getting shot at or digging through a dump for Hum-vee parts for what? Besides what do you care it’s not going to be your kids out there getting shot, it’s not going to be your wife or mother getting a folded American flag at her front door, realizing her worst nightmare has became a reality, It’s going to be guys like me who shed the blood while you and your friends and family attend fancy balls, eat fine foods, and drink the best wine.”

The President sat there suspended in thought; his eyes gazed at the sun setting slowing on the sky. Still no anger was dispensed from him.

“Dan,” he paused reaching down to adjust his sleeve, “uncertainly can also be a very powerful ally.”

He paused again while his wife Laura refilled his glass with fresh lemonade, and did the same for me. Really if you ever get a chance to meet the president make sure you taste their lemonade it’s the best I’ve ever had.

“See it really doesn’t matter what’s true and what’s not true; it’s want you believe is true. What you have to understand is: all the Michael Moore loving, liberal hippies are going to believe that I’m the absolute worst person in the world, because that’s what they what to think. Oppositely all the conservative, religious types are going to side with me, not the mention the rich people, boy they love me. Think about it, you’re never going to find if Oswald acted alone or not but, you believe he did or didn’t; then it becomes true, at least to the person doing the thinking. Really, do you believe everything you see on T.V.?”

“Not really, just the Simpsons.”

Of course I was joking; the president actually has a pretty good sense of humor.

“Man I like that show, I love how they bash Clinton.” He president replied.

“With all due respect sir,” I said. “Clinton wouldn’t have started an unjust war, flushed social security down the toilet, and irritated the entire world.”

The president slowly shook his head.

“If Clinton would have done his job and got Bin Laden while he had the chance, no one would think of September 11 as a significant day. Not to mention the secrets he sold to the Chinese.”

“Is that true?” I said

“Well,” The president picked up a rubber dog toy reached back and tossed the ball onto the lush green grass, the ball bounced twice before disappearing into the darkness. Barney, the president’s Scottish terrier, ran with swiftly to retrieve it. “It’s what I believe.”

The President leaned back, sighed, and checked his watch.

“Well Dan it’s getting late, you know I have that meeting with whats his name tomorrow.”

I stood, allowing a second for the blood to circulate back throughout my body, shook hands with the president and took one last look at the ranch.

“Man, that’s some good lemonade,” I thought as I made my way out.