Mayor Landwehr's Blog

Apostrophe Patrol Case No. 09-106: On Duty July 4

The Apostrophe Patrol never sleeps. This hapless youth at the Independence Day celebration in the Capital City is blissfully unaware of the crime being committed right before his eyes. It's all Greek to him. 

Aaron Tippin Kicks Off 4th of July Weekend at Capitol

The Capitol steps and the Supreme Court Building provided a beautiful setting for Aaron Tippin last night. The weather was perfect and the crowd was one of the largest we've seen at the Salute to America opening ceremonies. Aaron said of all the places where he has performed this is second only to the Washington Monument.

Katy Trail Visitors are Reminders of the Untapped Resource

Thousands of biking enthusiasts come along the Katy Trail, look at the nation's most beautiful state Capitol Building from a half mile away, and . . . keep peddling because there is no safe access across the bridge. Compare this situation with other venues like Hermann that enjoy considerable tourist traffic on account of the new bridge that has a wide protected bike/pedestrian lane. It's integral to their promotional efforts.

David DeSimone and Nick George are cycling from Florida to Oregon. Friends called ahead and asked for lodging and we were glad to provide a hot shower and BBQ. Their effort is named Biking For Balance. We had a chance to visit after dinner when they arrived earlier this week. They're both engineering doctoral students. 

 

What's "wrong with this picture" is that we had to pick them up across the river and haul them into Jefferson City.Their visit reminded us of the need to complete the access now being designed. It's more than just a fun amenity. It's tourism dollars and image -- a long term investment that will pay for itself many times over. Thanks to the Missouri State Parks Foundation, our own Parks Department, MODOT  and others, we are very close. 

New Welcome Signs Will Be A Nice Touch

Here's the sign being proposed by the East Side Business Association to welcome drivers entering Jefferson City from the east. They might ask for some help from City Hall, but they are prepared to make it happen regardless. They have talked to other civic groups about having these appear at all major entrances to the city. The installation (already approved by MODOT) has to be approved by the City Council.  Special thanks to Corey Luetkemeyer for spearheading the project. 

Kris Hilgedick in a Class All Her Own

Kris Hilgedick will leave the News Tribune  July 11 and return to the classroom. She will stand in front of Jefferson City teenagers and attempt to create enthusiasm about writing -- a rapidly fading art form -- marginalized by text messaging, Twitter and YouTube.

Politicians and reporters don't always get along, and that's not surprising. Their agendas sometimes clash. But during her nine year tenure at the News Tribune Kris reported chaos with style, digesting state and local politics with insight and balance. Her coverage was thoughtful and fair. She will be missed, and we wish her, and husband Terry, the very best. Our loss will be her students' gain. But she's always been . . . .  in a class all her own.

The Modern Version of Life After Death: Three News Cycles

At about the same time our ancestors discovered fire, they started to think about whether there is any individual identity after being eaten by a saber tooth tiger. Some modern cultures have rejected traditional Judeo Christian conepts of life after death. Humanists in Sweden recently paid for billboards questioning whether God exists.

Translation:  "God Probably Does Not Exist."

 (Note that they're hedging their bets a little!) 

Reminds me of an old joke in college that appeared as four lines on the blackboard:

"God is Dead." 

  Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is Dead." 

God

Putting aside Sweden and Nietzsche for the moment, there does seem to be a basic human need to look beyond the cadaver. This week the national media attemtped in its goofy, breathless way to have Michael Jackson live past his autopsy. Rest assured that Michael will be celebrated, castigated and litigated for a long time. He was a talented, complex and tragic guy whose heart stopped beating, prematurely perhaps, but as all our hearts will some day.

It's interesting that modern culture still looks for immortality, albeit immortality of its own making. 

Yearbook Mysteries Solved: The 2008 Docket

It's only right that we reveal the identities of those victims highlighted in the preceding year. How many did you get right?

Mike Bates

Partner at Central Missouri Professional Services

Wife, Cassandra, has a really green thumb.

The Hint: His spouse is an original flower child.

Sam Bushman

Owns Samuel's uptown; rents tuxedos

The Hint: His current profession would suit him well as one of the main villains in a Batman movie.

Nancy Gratz

Banker; husband Bill is a real estate agent and auctioneer.

The Hint: She's has to be a good listener to keep up with her husband.

John Hemeyer

Former Cole County Sheriff

The Hint: You could call this a "mug shot." 

Check out the pending cases in the Yearbook Mystery section on the right.

Cam Fine Deflects DC Thump on Jefferson City

Cam Fine is a native son trying to talk sense into the Beltway Bureaucrats. He's the CEO of the ICBA - Independent Community Bankers of America. In this recent interview on CNBC the starched shirt with the cable down his back wanted to poke fun at Jefferson City as one of the "hardest" (to memorize) state capitals. Cam responded with his own analysis of Washington: it's like "Jeff City on Mega Steroids." Having lived there for three years, I would have not been so gentle. 

More important, he gave a critique of Obama administration's proposal to create yet another federal agency devoted to consumer protection in banking. Cam pointed out they already have an agency doing that type of review. Regulated banks weren't the problem. 

Here's the link. The State of Financials - CNBC.com

". . . except on Tuesdays it might be on Channel 7.4"

Friend Steve Mays posted an recent ominous (to some) article by Henry Blodget titled "Sorry, There's No Way to Save the TV Business." His thesis was that TV incumbents will no longer be able to support their cost structures  due to market and technological forces. 

At Monday's city council meeting it was reported that the only Public Access Channel in the Capital City might (after the carrier's year long adjustment to digital) be found on Channels .2, 12, 12.2, 21 or 81 . . . or maybe not at all. This was two weeks after a company representative appeared at a city council meeting and reported that all is well -- and it's just a matter of everyone installing the free box that will not be free next year. Six days later they told the News Tribune there were "a few problems" that still needed attention. 

Well, the problems still exist, evidenced by the report Monday night.

It is pretty clear that public access is not a priority for Mediacom .

I will, therefore, add one factor to Henry Blodget's list of reasons why incumbent TV will be dead in ten years: 

self inflicted wounds.

Apostrophe Patrol Case No. 09-105: The Kirksville Files

While daughter Rebecca was a student at Truman State University in Kirksville, the Apostrophe Patrol conducted several covert investigations. Fearing possible retaliation, they refrained from any public comment. Now that Rebecca has received her degree and departed for Washington, D.C., we can publish two reports. 

This is a nice little bar where parents and grads convened to celebrate. It took me two beers to get over the shock.

They fell victim to a common weakness of needing to add an apostrophe somewhere . . . anywhere. 

I think we heard dueling banjos' coming from the back porch.