Last day to win “Rebecca”

I’ve received a lot of interest since my column last Sunday announcing the Globe’s online book club.

In cooperation with the Literary Lions at Missouri Southern State University, Globe blogger Terry McDermid will follow along as MSSU explores Daphne Du Maurier’s thriller “Rebecca.”

McDermid’s blog will go up on Feb. 16 and the Literary Lions begin meeting on Feb. 18.

We’re giving away 10 copies of the book. Just e-mail me – cstark@joplinglobe.com by 5 p.m. today. I’ll post up the winners soon after.

What Wally Kennedy didn’t tell you

Wally Kennedy, Globe staff writer

In today’s paper, veteran reporter Wally Kennedy wrote about a group of people from the area who are bound for Haiti and who will transport food, medical supplies and shelter into the country.

What Wally didn’t tell you is that he will be among them.

It has become personal for Wally, who traveled with a medical mission from Joplin in 2001 and covered their work for a Globe series.

Because of his personal ties, Wally is going as an individual and not as a reporter. His objective is to try to find four young people between the ages of 12 and 20. Their father and mother live in Joplin, but can’t leave the states of they could lose their political asylum here. Ultimately, if this trip is unsuccessful, the father will leave anyway.

So, why is this any of Wally’s concern?

“I made a connection with many of the people in Haiti in 2001, and I’ve kept in touch with them. This just seems like the right thing to do,” he said.

Is he afraid?

“A little. There’s a lot of tension right now in Haiti, so it’s a concern, but I’ll be traveling with a group.”

Among those on the mission will be Jacky Pierre. Wally met him in 2001 and helped him come to the states where he attended Missouri Southern State University. Wally leaves on Saturday and will return the following Saturday, maybe earlier if he locates the children of the Joplin man. He has already established contacts with the embassy in Port-au-Prince and has enlisted help from top government officials.

He told me he’s been walking Joplin trails the last week, twice a day. I asked him if he thought he was going to be doing a lot of walking.

“No, Carol. That’s in case I have to make a run for it,” he joked.

Seriously, though, please keep Wally and the others from Joplin in your thoughts. They will provide tremendous medical help to the Haitian people whose lives are in havoc after the devastating earthquake.

And maybe, just maybe, they will reunite a family.

Looking for a few good Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America organization marks its 100th anniversary in February and the Globe is looking for first-person stories from scouts of all ages.

On Feb. 28, the Globe is publishing a special section dedicated to the history of scouting. We’d like to tell your story, or you son’s story, or you grandson’s story.

Globe Metro Editor Andy Ostmeyer ( a former Boy Scout) is heading up the section. You can send your story, along with a photo of yourself as a scout to Andy at aostmeyer@joplinglobe.com or mail it to the Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO., 64802. Mark your letter to Andy’s attention. Make sure you include a phone number, so he can reach you if he has any questions.

Sowell book headed to new home

Robert Miller, of Webb City, wins the new Thomas Sowell book “Intellectuals and Society.”

Twelve people responded and I picked Miller’s name out of the hat. I’ll do this again from time to time.

Win a copy of Sowell’s book

Thomas Sowell, a conservative syndicated columnist, was added to our editorial page lineup at the request of a number of readers.

 Today a copy of his new book “Intellectuals and Society” arrived in the mail.

Are there any of you out there who would like to add this to your library? E-mail me at cstark@joplinglobe.com. I’ll put your name in a hat and draw out a winner.

Opinions: Everybody has one

I’ve noticed that one of our online commenters suggests that letters, such as “Joplin hospitality” which appeared in today’s paper, should be relegated to a feature page or back with “the Scramlets,” rather than being on our Opinion page.

The individual suggested the same when we ran our Thanksgiving essays as columns on the Opinion page.

We frequently run guest columns that use storytelling or humor or simply shed some light on a piece of local history.

I believe letters and columns like these have a place on the Opinion page, because that’s precisely what they are. In the case of  “Joplin hospitality,” the author uses his letter to thank the Joplin community for their help when his care broke down on Interstate 44. Nothing controversial, just an observation that he was treated well in the community.

Just my opinion. But, I’m always willing to hear yours.

Rose Bowl or bust

Our newest Globe reporter, Emily Younker, spent nearly two months as an embedded reporter during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

I figure she’s up for 10 days with the Webb City High School Band.

Emily will board the bus on Dec. 26 for the three-day trip to Pasadena and return (hopefully) on Jan. 4.  She’ll eat with the kids, stay at the same hotel complex, attend the same attractions, and basically do everything the band does – except march and play an instrument in the Rose Bowl Parade.

Emily will blog about her experiences and coordinate our efforts on Facebook, providing readers with photos, first-person stories from students, and candid moments.  All of that information will then be edited into a format for our print product.

Our goal is to make this trip a total multi-media experience, from video feeds, audio interviews, and coverage from morning ’til night. It should be a great way for parents, grandparents and band boosters to stay connected to the band members as they represent their school and community.

A first for the Globe’s editorial board

Did you know there’s an ATM  in the booking room at the Newton County Jail?

I didn’t until Monday when the editorial board took a field trip of sorts and toured the jail.

I won’t pretend to know what editorial boards 40 to 50 years ago did, but the outing was a first in recent history.

Six members of the board spent almost an hour looking at the jail. We checked out the kitchen (spotless), the holding cells (very small),  offices,   the “drunk tank”  and the pods where prisoners are kept.

The reason for our visit is the recent proposal from Sheriff Ken Copeland to expand the jail. The Newton County Jail holds 80 prisoners. At times, it has up to 137 prisoners.

But, should taxpayers keep building jails, or should we be finding alternatives to jail? Do we need to fill cells with crime suspects who are not dangerous, but can’t affort to make bail? How many people are in jail as a result of alcohol and drug addiction? How about mental illness?

These are all questions we are looking to get answered in the coming weeks. By the end of January, we will weigh in with the board’s opinion on the need for jail expansions.

By the way, the ATM is one tool that keeps some from having to sit in a jail cell until someone comes to bail them out.

Globe will take down Kelly Maddy’s blog

The Globe will be taking Kelly Maddy’s blog “Mad About Reform” off our Web site in order to avoid any potential for conflict of interest.

Maddy, 26, 2010 Kentucky Ave., has picked up petitions to run for a general seat on the council. Maddy is president of the Joplin Chapter of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

He is an advocate for the reform of marijuana policy in Missouri and his blogs have focused on local, state and national initiatives to legalize or decriminalize pot.

Picking up the petitions signals Maddy’s intention to throw his hat into the local council race.

We like our letters original

Several of our readers today pointed out that our Monday “letter of the week” was not original, and in fact could be found on a Paul Harvey Web site.

We’ll run a clarification on Tuesday’s Opinion page. Occasionally we have to remind our letter writers that signed letters must be their original words. If small segments of the letter have appeared elsewhere, then please provide attribution.

We do occasionally run a check on some letters if the content raises a red flag. In this particular case, we didn’t.

While we’re talking about letters, please try to keep them to 300 words and always include your phone number.