NEVADA, Mo. — Classes begin next week at Cottey College, and students will notice something new when they arrive on campus. It’s a new education lab inside the Blanche Skiff Ross Memorial Library. The entire basement, in fact, is now called the “Jann Rudd Weitzel Education Lab.” It’s named in honor of the college’s 12th president, who retired in June. The space will be used by education students to collaborate, as well as observe lessons and teach their own in a true K-12 setting.
Jann Rudd Weitzel Education Lab Dedication
Jann Rudd Weitzel Education Lab
Jann Rudd Weitzel Education Lab
Jann Rudd Weitzel Education Lab
“We want them to feel comfortable once they get out in the real world, real world and start teaching, right? So this provides them that realistic opportunity to practice the art of teaching, and a safe environment to get feedback from seasoned professionals,” said Dr, Kristina Adams, Cottey College.
Orientation for all Cottey students starts on Friday.
JASPER COUNTY, Mo. — How much is your county worth? If you live in Jasper County the total is growing, and just hit a major milestone.
“We drive a 2010 Yukon, extended version. We’re trying to find a new vehicle for that but vehicles are few and far between,” said Randy Nace, Jasper Co. Driver.
Upgrading that 12-year-old vehicle is a priority for Jasper County Driver Randy Nace. Buying a newer car or truck – or in this case, SUV – is one way County values are trending up.
“They have basically doubled in price so it’s been a tough you know, tough to find one that you can afford,” said Nace.
Buying new cars, building new homes, and businesses have helped Jasper County hit a new record in total property value. A newly released County assessed valuation report now puts the total at just over $2-billion for the first time ever. In 2021, it was just below the mark at 1.9 million.
“It’s all property – personal property and real property. So like I said, your home, your business structure, your cars, your trucks, your trailers, your tractors, your goats, chickens, hay bales – all of those things,” said Charlie Davis, Jasper Co. Clerk.
All things every Missouri county is required to report to the state every year. The report is very detailed – for example, it shows county residents own 125,000 vehicles. 56,000 of those are trucks. County growth is a big component in the growth trend – but it’s also getting a boost from 2022 inflation.
“We did get notification from my Assessor’s office that the Personal Property Tax which a lot of the schools the city saw a large increase upwards of 10% was primarily because last year the Assessor’s office did not do any increase in personal property tax. The decision was made because of COVID. And things being a little bit rough on individuals that they’re working to do it, but the State Tax Commission won’t let us do that forever. So the Assessor looked at that and did a two-year increase on Personal Property Tax,” added Davis.
Vernon County Residents gather at a packed Nevada City Council Meeting tonight (8/16). The City Council is holding an open session starting tonight at 7:00 p.m.
Residents are upset because Alzheimer’s patients living at “Barone Care Center” received a letter on August 9th from Gene Vestal, the Interim CEO of Barone Care Center.
That letter was a proposed transfer plan for moving Barone’s residents to “Moore-Few Care Center,” effective October 31st.
Many of those who have gathered at tonight’s meeting have plans to protest the proposed closure of Barone Care Center and the plan to move the residents afflicted with Alzheimer’s.
Loved ones of residents argue that Moore-Few Care Center is not capable of taking care of Alzheimer’s patients, saying it does not hold the appropriate license and can’t handle the physical needs of those living with Alzheimer’s.
At tonight’s meeting, loved ones of residents living at Barone Care Center are planning to call for the firing of Interm CEO, Gene Vestal.
City leader’s we’ve talked to say they’re also against closing the facility.
We’ll start to update what happens in tonight’s meeting at 7:00 p.m.
*IF YOU’RE FOLLOWING ALONG LIVE, PLEASE REFRESH YOUR WEB BROWSER EVERY FEW MINUTES*
7:20 p.m. – Alzheimer’s advocate, Jennifer Gundy, was the first to speak to the Council about this issue. At the end of her statement, Gundy called for the firing of the Interm CEO of Barone Care Center, Gene Vestal. Grundy also stated that it “can be deadly to move Alzheimer’s patients to a new facility.”
7:30 p.m. – The Mayor of Nevada, George Knox, stated that Gene Vestal has not discussed any plans to close Barone Care Center with city leaders.
7:40 p.m. – The fourth person to speak at the podium has a mother who lives at Barone Care Center. She had the following to say: “These Alzheimer patients are going to die if you move them to another facility. It’s horrible to watch your loved one’s mind go deeper and deeper into the disease, but to add on top of that the confusion that it would put on their minds… I know that if I told my mother who lives at Barone, that she has to move, I know she would die… I also call for the resignation of Gene Vestal immediately.” (Applause from most all of those watching in the Council Chambers)
7:45 p.m. – Pam Grainley, who was next up at the podium, said this: “Barone Care Center runs like a fine oiled machine. They set a daily schedule for those with Dementia. That helps with planning and having an overall feeling of safety. While my mom was alive and living at Barone, she was so happy there. My mother was comfortable, happy and knew that Barone was home. Those who worked there while my mom was alive, cared for her like she was a person. Each time I visited her, there wasn’t a time when she wasn’t being cared for by a staff member. This is home to my mom. This is home to our loved ones so please don’t take it away from them. Ill leave you with this, imagine you have a family member that has cancer. You’ve spent countless hours finding the best care for your loved one. Now imagine that care being taken from you. All the care your loved one received – gone. Suddenly, someone who doesn’t know anything about your loved one is now in charge, because money was being mishandled. This is what’s facing those who live at Barone.”
Reporter Notes: Barone Care Center currently has 33 residents, all who suffer from the disease of Alzheimer’s, living at the facility.
If you would like to voice your opinion on what’s happing tonight inside the Nevada City Council Chambers, post a Facebook comment on the Facebook page of…
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8:00 p.m. – Marvin Query was next up to speak. He had this to say: “I heard an interesting fact today. The plan to move residents from Barone Care Center to Moore-Few Care Center, did not mention the destination for transfer as Moore-Few Care Center. I would really like to know why.” He later said to the Council, “please ask the community to be involved in these decisions and to be engaged with the City.”
Reporter Notes: Every audience seat is fill tonight, inside the Nevada City Council Chambers. Each speaker is suppose to speak for only 3-4 minutes, although the Council is letting each speaker go over 5 minutes, in order to get the speaker’s point across.
Reporter Notes: Tonight on Action 12 News at 10:00, Kate Dalton will have a live report from Nevada City Hall to summarize what went on inside the Nevada City Council Chambers tonight. Digital News Reporter, Dustin Lattimer is also at tonight’s meeting and will post a summary of what took place there.
8:20 p.m. – Maurine Short, a former long-term care facility administrator, was next up to the podium. She said she was asked to speak at tonight’s Council Meeting. Maurine Short, knowing a lot about Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, summarized what it’s like as a patient with progressive Alzheimer’s disease. She described the decline of the brain, like the reverse progression of physical aging. Short said that as an Alzheimer’s patient progresses in the disease, they’re becoming “more like an infant child.” Toward the end of her time, Short said that at Barone, the staff is “well trained” in caring for Alzheimer’s patient. Short stated that you “have to know how to approach someone with Alzheimer’s and it takes special people with a special skill set to be able to do that job. Short stated that, “Moving the patients from Barone Care Center to Moore-Few Care Center, makes financial sense. But, the staff, leadership and the hospital has to do everything they can to duplicate the care, the approach and the feeling of security and safety that those people at Barone feel. Every staff member at Moore-Few Care Center has got to be trained to specifically handle those with Alzheimer’s. There has to be a specific Alzheimer’s wing where residents with Alzheimer’s are locked in.”
8:40 p.m. – A Vernon County Resident, who only said that her name was Cindy, had this to say: “There are a group of us who have been meeting to come up with some solution. Here’s what we came up with… we want Barone to have its own Board; a Board of people who actually know what they’re doing when it comes to special memory care, because this board doesn’t (audience applause).”
8:45 p.m. – End of public comments.
8:47 p.m. – Mayor proposed two motions. One of them was “an immediate dismissal of Mr. Vestal.”
Reporter Notes: This ends the LIVE BLOG. You’ll find a summary of tonight’s City Council Meeting posted later on Fourstateshomepage.com
PITTSBURG, Kans. — One of the most important books in American literary history has direct ties to Girard and Pittsburg, Kansas. It was one of the most influential and shocking books in American history.
A Girard-based Socialist newspaper called “The Appeal To Reason” hired a then-unknown writer named Upton Sinclair. Sinclair was tasked with infiltrating the Chicago meat-packing industry and write about what he saw. At first, the newspaper only printed sections of Sinclair’s work before it was eventually published in its entirety in book form. It lead to sweeping labor law reform.
“There were changes in the food industry. Teddy Roosevelt was the President, he was incensed when he first saw what was in the book and he really didn’t think it was real, it was true, and he quickly found out that it was and there were changes made in the food preparation and meat industry,” said Steven Cox, University Archives.
But the story didn’t end there. Workers were cleaning out a house in Girard several decades ago when they discovered hundreds of pages of what turned out to be Sinclair’s own handwriting. They turned over the papers to then-University Archivist Gene Degruson.
“He compiled from the various newspapers that we have in our collection – the serialized version of it, put it all together then started really comparing it to the book and realized there was stuff left out of the book. And so he publicized a few years after that the sort, or the suppressed or lost edition of ‘The Jungle,'” said Cox.
Degruson appeared on the NBC Today Show back in 1989 to promote the unabridged version.
Sinclair said about his book, “I aimed at the public’s heart, and by accident, I hit it in the stomach.”
DIAMOND, Mo. — It will soon be safer for students and guests to enter and exit schools in Diamond. Ground has been broken on new entrances for the elementary, middle, and high schools. The elementary building will include a new double entrance, a large atrium, school offices, and conference rooms. A double entry, office renovations, and conference room will take place at the middle school. The high school will see a new double entry and renovation of the entire reception area.
The school board approved the measures back in June.
“We’re definitely focusing on safety here. This is with the Uvalde situation definitely at the top of everybody’s mind of making sure our schools are safe, but, I knew from the get-go that this, we needed to embrace this as far as a project that we needed to do to open up our entrances, not only for security but for people to be able to get into our buildings and be welcomed and have a place where they can be received into the building instead of having to hang out outside and be squeezed through,” said Dr. Keith White, Diamond Superintendent.
All the construction will be paid for by capital funds saved over a long period of time by the district.
PITTSBURG, Kans. — Beginning next week, students from all over the Four States will leave their homes behind and start their college careers at Pittsburg State. Other newcomers to PSU are from the other side of the world.
This week, foreign students are getting acclimated to the culture shock of life in the American Heartland. But Gracie Ruble says international students aren’t anything new to the university. She says there are over 100 students from 25 different countries.
“We care a lot at our International office and I think just Pitt State as a whole, about making sure they feel comfortable. So just during the orientation process, what we do is we help put them into groups and just as a great way to help them feel not so isolated and alone,” said Ruble.
“And it’s my first time in the USA, so it’s a good experience and opportunity to get international experience, get a better education,” said Azizkhon Hojiakbarov, From Uzbekistan.
Some international students are only spending a semester at Pitt State, while others will be there for two years to finish off their bachelor’s, while others will be there all four years.
Ruble says students have the option of being paired with an American family, an American student, or other foreign students during their stay at the university.
PITTSBURG, Kans. — If you have to go out and shop for back-to-school items, why not shop local? That’s what the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce is asking residents to consider doing. Chamber President Blake Benson says there is a ripple effect for every dollar spent in your town.
“When you spend a dollar in your local community, 68 cents of that stays in your community because then that store owner, they pay their employees, their employees then go out and also support local businesses. When you go to another community, 100% of that dollar stays in that community, so your community doesn’t get any of that support,” said Benson.
In addition to helping area merchants during very challenging economic times, Benson says it also generates sales tax dollars which help provide residents with local services.
NEVADA, Mo. — The future of Alzheimer’s care facility was front and center at tonight’s city council meeting in Nevada (8/16).
Dozens of loved ones whose family members are residents of “Barone Alzheimer’s Care Center” protested tonight.
After receiving a letter from Long Term Care Interim CEO, Gene Vestal, stating that the facility is going to close on October 31st.
Family members came with signs demanding the center not to close and ask for allocated funds to be checked on.
The also came with the goal of asking the city to fire Vestal.
Many family members said tonight that if their loved ones were moved from the facility to a nursing home in town, “Moore-Few Care Center,” there would be detrimental effects because “Barone” specializes in treating Alzheimer’s patients.
“They care. You take them out of there and they will die. There is no question about it. I will lose my mom quicker than I have to now and that’s why we’re trying to fight to keep it open because there is misappropriation of funds. This long term board, they are not even paying attention as to what is going on with the families and the residents,” said Cindi Louderback, daughter of a resident living at Barone.
Tonight, Nevada’s Mayor passed a motion for the immediate termination of Gene Vestal, which was approved by all Nevada City Council members.
Vestal’s termination will be put in the city agenda and will be finalized at the next council meeting on August 23rd.
We asked Vestal to comment after tonight’s meeting.
JOPLIN, Mo. – Joplin Police Department addresses a recent hoax on Facebook where a false account claims a serial killer is on the loose.
As the post spread across the nation, multiple police departments released statements.
JPD Police Sergeant Andy Blair said many times, these social media hoaxes are solely to spread fear.
“You have just the people who are wanting to cause scare in the community; that’s their driver, so a lot of times that will be it, causing some scare and some worry among the community, and we obviously don’t want that to be the case so we quickly want to try to shut that down and figure out if there is any truth behind it,” Blair stated.
Blair says if you do not know if a post is real, contact the police.
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PITTSBURG, Kans.- Pittsburg State University is welcoming back international students for the fall semester.
PSU is hosting orientation activities throughout the week to help international students transition smoothly.
Students are arriving at the Joplin Airport from around the world.
In addition, international students getting more familiar with campus and are taking English placement tests before the first day of the fall semester.
A local group, The International Friends of Pittsburg group, is hosting a welcome dinner for new international students. Pittsburg’s community put great effort into keeping the long-standing tradition going.
The group will also set up friendship matches for foreign students and families through its Friendship Family program.
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
