The Jefferson Bee Moves!!

Rick Morain, editor and publisher of the Jefferson Bee and Herald, announced last week that the Jefferson Bee would be published in Iowa Falls, effectively immediately. He added that the paper would be reduced to a more manageable and recognizable size, and the printing technology available in Iowa Falls would add the option of color photos, and better graphics, in general.

So, the question is, why is the Jefferson paper finally moving? Is Rick admitting that the paper was an inconvenient size? Is he admitting that the photos previously published were of poor quality? Is this the first step in the local paper's demise?

The presses at the Bee and Herald were obsolete 30 years ago. Nobody was going to pay for upgrades. In many ways, this was a long time coming. Perhaps we can now look forward to a Jefferson Bee and Herald web site??

Ray Dillard

Recently on the Jefferson Iowa News facebook page, I posted a photo of an old junior high literature teacher, Ray Dillard. The response caught us totally off guard. There were nearly 60 posts, from all over the United States and Canada, almost unanimously praising him as one of the best teachers they had ever had. What we found interesting, however, was that absolutely none of the posts explained what made him so good.

Many posters recalled interesting anecdotes involving Ray. Some talked about his quirky behavior or his relentless pursuit of dress cose violations. Not one recalled anything at all that they learned from Mr. Dillard.

Let's address this head-on. WHY exactly is Ray Dillard so fondly remembered? Be detailed. Don't give me more anecdotes. Focus on what he taught you. What exactly did you LEARN from Mr. Dillard? And why hasn't Rich posted his photo as a blog follower?

County Fair Midway

Growing up in a small town, the county fair was always a great attraction. You were able to meet friends there and there were lots of things going on. Most fun was the midway, where for a few bucks you could go on rides, play games, and have cotton candy.

Recently, the Greene County Fair has apparently done away with the midway, and the fair is just a series of scheduled shows and exhibits. Why is this? Why have other counties not followed suit? I suspect the local police prefer it this way.

Granted, there are a lot less kids in Greene County than there used to be. I still think these midways would be happy to pitch their tents in Jefferson for a weekend. At least hire a small one. This is nothing more than heading down that slippery slope that all of Jefferson follows. You can't just keep making everything smaller and smaller. Some day you will be so small that there will be no way back up the slope.

Jefferson and the Internet

We all grew up fans of the Jefferson Rams - we attended their football games. I can remember attending games where the stands were so full (even up to the top) that people were forced to stand along the sidelines during games. The stands are smaller now, and there are fewer of them. After attending a JSPC football game last fall, I can tell you that public interest is not what it used to be.

Nearly every school has a web site which lists activities, events, and sports schedules. Here in Des Moines, all of the schools list sports schedules months ahead of time even down to the grade school level. That way, parents can simply download them and stick them on their refrigerator. Unfortunately, Jefferson does not even list their fall football schedule this way for us.

What's with Jefferson and their lack of interest in the electronic media? It's pretty bad when an old fart like myself regularly surpasses the school in technology information. Why won't anyone post the Jefferson sports schedules on line? Why doesn't the local newspaper even have a web site? And while we're at it, why doesn't Diamond Dave own a football??

Unreported Crime

It has been estimated that less than 10% of all crimes are reported. Studies also seem to suggest that only one-third of all violent crimes are ever investigated, and more than likely less than four out of ten murders are solved. This makes the discussion of crime in places like Greene County interesting.

Jefferson is certainly not noted for its violent crime, let alone murder. But that apparently doesn't mean it never happens. Even though we can name only a couple of murders that have occurred in Jefferson in our lifetimes, these numbers may indicate that others have been committed.

Perhaps the perpetraitors were just too clever for our local police. Maybe the victims were nameless, and no investigation ensued. With this in mind, the Question of the Week is: How many unreported murders have been committed in Greene County in the last fifty years? Where were the bodies buried? Why have they not been reported? Let's get your opinion.

Stop Signs

We've talked about it before. Now The Panel gets to weigh in. Do we need more or less stop signs in Jefferson? Maybe you feel that we have about the right number. I've heard from locals who insist that stop signs protect their children from traffic. I've heard the other side, stating that Jefferson's speed limits are already among the lowest they've encountered.

Do you err on the side of caution and post numerous stop signs? Do you instead create through streets where two stop signs can be used in place of four? Give us your take. This time Rick gets the last word. Post as many times as you like, respond to each other, mainly just make your point.

Toilet Paper

Our panel of experts is formed by Marty Bryant, Iona Trailer, Buford T. Justice, Diamond Dave, Braxton Hicks, Rich, Big Nasty, and myself, Rick Bland. Eight people who have exhibited superhuman abilities in problem solving. We will pose weekly questions and let our panel sort out the facts and draw the appropriate conclusions. All answers are acceptable; nobody is wrong (yet). Everybody has one week to respond. Panel members are allowed to respond as often as they like, if they feel it is necessary. Since everyone on the panel either currently resides in Greene County or spent a great part of their life there, we'll focus heavily on questions related to that.

After everyone has had their say, Rick Bland will post the final, correct answer. At that time, the discussion will be closed and we will focus on the next week's question. As this is all in fun, I don't have to remind everyone to treat each other with at least a little respect. You are THE PANEL, after all.

We'll start out the first week with something easy. Something that you guys will probably consider child's play. Our panel will not feel challenged this first week. Consider this a practice run. Remember, the world is waiting to hear your wisdom. Just drag your mouse to the right of Rick Bland's byline at the bottom of this post to click on the "comments" link that will appear. Click on it and post!

The Question Of The Week is: If you ran out of toilet paper Sunday night at midnight and lived in Jefferson, where would you go to get some, and why?