As a non-smoker, the issue really doesn’t matter to me, and Johnson seems to agree, saying it’s really not his problem to deal with. As long as no one is blowing smoke in my face and I don’t walk around smelling like a cigarette after I visit a bar, it’s no big deal.

Listen to the podcast below I made with Johnson to hear him discuss more of his feelings on the issue.

A lot of things stir all sorts of thoughts in me. Events, people, holidays, etc. Today, Mother’s Day, is one of those times I begin to ponder…

My mom’s 60th birthday is May 22nd, which also happens to be the one-year mark of the Joplin tornado. I am reluctant to call it an “anniversary.” That word sounds so celebratory. Last year, all my mom wanted was a German chocolate cake for her birthday. Instead, her childhood home/city was torn to the ground, and her mom and brother lived to tell the tale.

This year, she is refusing to celebrate on that day. We chose the 20th to do the birthday thing instead. I emailed Ellen Degeneres, telling her the story and asking her to send my mom a cake. No response yet…(finger’s crossed!)

Life is so odd sometimes. Who would have thought that, on that fateful Sunday, everything my family and I had gotten comfortable with would have been torn away? I guess what I have learned from this is to live with no fears and to never settle for the minimum.

My grandma said that, while she sat on her bed holding on for dear life through the storm, she didn’t really think about what she had missed out on or what she should have done. She felt peace. Now, I don’t know what I would be thinking in a moment like that, but it would probably be far from peace. You see, she has lived such a wonderful, fruitful, and amazing life! She simply felt survival instincts.

This year is an odd one for the family, but we have grown so much stronger and closer. My mom might not get the cake from Ellen, but she has so much more to smile about. Happy Mother’s Day and birthday, mom. You are my best friend.

]]> http://www.ozarksnewsjournal.com/2012/05/one-more-thing/feed/ 0 http://www.ozarksnewsjournal.com/2012/05/erin-okeefes-portfolio/ http://www.ozarksnewsjournal.com/2012/05/erin-okeefes-portfolio/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 20:25:16 +0000 Erin OKeefe http://www.ozarksnewsjournal.com/?p=14388 [...]]]> Feature Story- Torando Tips To Keep You Safe

Reporting Opinion Based 1- The Joplin Memorial Run

Reporting Opinion Based 2- The Color Run!

[View with PicLens]

Video 1- Meterologist Ron Hearst on things to do incase of a torando

Video 2- Missouri State’s take on Your 3 Words

Podcast1- Coping With Finals

Podcast 2- Once Upon A Prom

Interactive Map- Safe running places in Springfield, MO

But why do we celebrate an actual “Mother’s Day?” Do we need a specific date on our calendars to do good things for our moms? I think the good deeds I listed above are certainly doable any day of the week, any week of the year.

When I fell down the backyard steps (twice) as a little guy, my mom didn’t wait until “Wipe the Blood Off Your Son’s Face” Day to clean my wounds. In grade school, my mom never waited until “Don’t Let Your Kid Hitch Hike to Class” Day to give me a ride. She always made me a healthy lunch, even though we never celebrated “Prevent Childhood Diabetes with a Turkey sandwich and Piece of Fruit” Day. And most certainly, she never waited until “Help Pay Off Your Kids’ Student Loans” Day to help me out financially (though we really do need this holiday, maybe four times a year).

My point is, these are things our mommas do regularly, because they love us. Cooking dinner for them, buying our moms flowers, helping out in the garden, vacuuming the pool, walking the dogs so she can pass out in front of the television sooner.. We can do these every day, not just on Mother’s Day. She never waited until “Ok, Finally Time to Prove to Your Kids You Actually Care About Them” Day to express her love.

So next week, next month, sometime in September, take time with your mom and do something special for her. Don’t wait until the calendar holiday to express your love. Every day should be Mother’s Day.

In this video there are some great tips about how to cope with stress before finals. While they seem like simple things being completing these tasks it can help you receive better grades on your test. Giving yourself one day, or even one afternoon away from the books to relax and be with your friends has been proven to put students in a proper mind-set to buckle down for that last push.

• Nearly 69% of US adults are overweight or obese and remains the biggest threat to the health, welfare, and future of this country.
• Without healthy eating, this generation of kid’s life expectancy is much shorter than that of their parents.
• 18% of children in the US are obese
• The nation’s health rides on whether we can decrease these obesity numbers

Unless we are able to control weight loss, chronic disease will follow.  We live in a world that craves a Big Mac, instead of vegetables.  It is our job to motivate people who are overweight so that their life isn’t cut short by bad eating.

Exercising daily is a very easy way to keep the calories off.  Even if that is just walking, any little exercise helps.  The most important thing that any parent can do is to encourage kids to stay active.

In our society today technology is taking over. More and more video games are coming out, which forces kids indoors on beautiful days.  Establishing a healthy diet and following the food groups portions will help you lose weight.

• Fruit Group should provide 4 daily servings, or 2 cups.
• Vegetable Group should provide 5 servings, or 2.5 cups.
• Grain Group should provide 6 ounce-equivalents (1 ounce-equivalent means 1 serving), half of which should be whole grains.
• Meat and Beans Group should provide 5.5 ounce-equivalents or servings.
• Milk Group should provide 3 cups/servings.
• Oils should provide 24g or 6 teaspoons.
• Discretionary Calories: Up to 267 calories could be consumed in solid fats or added sugars if the other requirements were been met.

By basing your dietary consumption on these food groups, you will begin to see improvements in your weight loss.  That and don’t forget to exercise. Let’s stay healthy Springfield so we are not just part of some consensus.

Technorati Tags: Missouri, Missouri State University, MO, MSU, ONJTV, Ozark News Journal, springfield

Let’s put this in a little perspective here.  First off, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 broke all records when they sold $169.2 million in the first weekend according to explorenews.com.  Pretty impressive right?  Also “Thor” sold $181 million for its entire stint in theaters and “Captain America” and the “Incredible Hulk” did $176.6 million and $134.8 million prospectively.

The Avengers topped off at $200.3 million dollars in the first weekend.  That’s over $30 million dollars over Harry Potter in the first weekend.  That’s insane! The Avengers also played in other countries with a grand total of $641.8 million dollars world wide.  I’d say it’s pretty lucrative.

I went to go see what everyone else was watching last night at Hollywood Theaters in downtown Springfield.  It was half off night so I bought two 3D tickets for $10 each.  I don’t know if it was because it was half off, or if it was just everyone wanted to see it, but the theater was packed.

My friend and I got there late (10 minutes before) and we could barely get a seat.  We had to sit in the front two rows right in front of the screen.  So starting off I was pretty uncomfortable, but I was extremely excited.

I’ve never done a movie review so bear with my terrible writing, and if you disagree with me please say so in the comments section.  Just don’t use any curse words, that’s not nice.

Okay to start off I’ll talk about it in a general movie sense.  It was a very entertaining movie with great special effects.  The story line was pretty good for a stereotypical superhero saves the world kind of thing.  The acting was both sub-par and really good.  I actually hated Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.  He just seemed like a joke to me and I could never take him seriously.  Also Robin from How I Met Your Mother as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? That was very weird and I have to say, she didn’t do a very good job.  There were also some decent ones that didn’t really impress me or make me want to throw something at the screen.  However Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo were amazing.  They had a nice little friendship in the movie and it played off really well.  Jr. played his Iron Man perfect, once again, and Ruffalo surprised me. I loved Edward Norton in the other one so I came in a little hesitant.  At times, though, Ruffalo stole the show, especially when he shows off his little talent towards the end.

Now I’ll talk about the movie from a comic book movie perspective.  It was incredible.  Every time two heroes came together to fight I just had the biggest smile on my face, I couldn’t help it. The movie had funny parts, sad parts, and the action scenes were so entertaining.  Especially when Captain America and Iron Man came together for like five seconds.  That was my favorite part.  Also the typical Marvel scenes after the movie were pretty good too.  They showed who the next villain is, and had a pretty funny 15 second silent film tidbit with all the characters.  Stan Lee even got a little showing in there at the end.

Overall I’d give this movie an A-.  It was very fun to watch, it had its flaws, but it made up for everything at the end and with the action scenes.

Missouri State offered a variety of panels and guest speakers including Meghan McCain. The events were open to students and the general public all free of cost.

One of the panels spoke about the shifting tides of rural connectivity. The panel consisted of four people:

•  Erran Persley who is the senior vice president for Africa at Chemonics international Inc.,
• Robert Mahaffey is the director of communications for The Rural School and Community Trust. He is also president of the Organization Concerned about Rural Education.
•  John H. Keiser is president emeritus of Missouri State University.
• Travis Allen is a junior at Kennesaw State University. He operates a growing nonprofit organization, the iSchool Inititive.

I grew up in a really small town my friends also attended the conference and is also from a small town; in fact she is the one who asked the very last question. We both have really bias opinions over this topic. So, Im curious what do the rest of you think. Is this a possibility?

The local magazine covers what’s interesting in local sports, entertainment and downtown culture.

The event had live music, beer sampling and art work abound.

The magazine and website was started several years ago by Brett Johnston and Allen Vaughan. Brett formerly worked as a sports writer for the News-leader.

You can listen to Tag radio every Sunday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.  on 99.9 F.M.

A shooting occurred on the 1100 block of Maryland Avenue Saturday around 12 p.m.  in Springfield’s Phelps Grove neighborhood.

Lt. Grizzell of the Springfield Police Department says two people were injured and sent to the hospital. It is known that one of the victims suffered two gunshot wounds, one in the face and one in the bicep. He is currently in the hospital, status unknown.

Jared Cooley lives on the 1100 block of Loren Street in Phelps Grove. He said he was awoken by the shots but went back to bed. He said he didn’t realize there were police officers outside until his roommate Ben Brandow arrived home and told him the news.

“I was still halfway asleep but the first thing I thought of was ‘Man, somebody just shot off a gun,’” Cooley said.

This is the second shooting in the Phelps Grove neighborhood since June of 2011, when a male was shot in the stomach on the 900 block of Loren Street. The man survived the shooting.

Phelps Grove neighborhood is located just south of the Missouri State University campus. Many MSU students live in the neighborhood, as well as young adults and families.

Church had cancelled his Bloomington, Illinois show on April 29 due to illness, so Springfield was lucky he resumed The Blood, Sweat and Beers Tour here.

Brantley Gilbert got the crowd pumped-up and ready to rock with some of his more popular songs like You Don’t Know Her Like I Do and Country Must Be Country Wide. Before Church took the stage, a local radio station had the crowd sing happy birthday to help him celebrate his 35th birthday.

Eric Church appeared in a cloud of smoke as he slowly ascended from underneath the stage. He started with Country Music Jesus from his newest album, Chief.

The crowd, filled with mostly people in their early 20′s wearing boots and cowboy hats, were a rowdy bunch, ready for a party. One man leaped on stage during Church’s encore performance of Smoke A Little Smoke, then knocked over a mic stand before reaching Church. The crazed fan put his arm around a startled Church before security guards had to drag the man off stage, which was not an easy task since he wasn’t leaving without a fight.

During Church’s song, These Boots, many fans took off their boots and raised them into the air. Church took one fan’s boot and held it up on stage while finishing the song.

Church ended the night with his newest single, Springsteen. Phones and lighters lit up the stadium like a starry night sky as Church played the piano and sang.

The evening almost ended with a fight between two men in the lobby. Several started screaming, “Fight, fight, fight!” Fortunately, the two men decided to end the confrontation after some friends calmed them down.

By the time the night was over, every ear was ringing from the deafening screams of the crowd. It was a show that Springfield won’t soon forget, and hopefully a birthday to remember for Eric Church.

Man holds up a sign outside JQH before the show begins

Fans filing in before the show starts

Photos and video by Katie Lamb

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What could you do… in 48 hours? For many people that amount of time can seem like nothing at all. College students, however, can take full advantage of every second to write papers, study for tests, or even make a movie.

It’s called Springfield and the Ozarks 48 hour film festival and for the past seven years people have come to this short-film competition to showcase their talents. The competition begins with a kick-off on Friday and it ends 48 hours later on Sunday.

“There are a number of parents who come up and say, ”I don’t know what you did to make my child more focused, organized, and determined than ever to do something they love,’” SATO co-founder Jeff Clinkenbeard said.

Competitors have to make a short film in that time span using specific dialogue and props designed so that filming can’t be done beforehand. These items make up what’s called an inspiration package which can include a tangible object, dialogue, a prop, or other things. This year competitors had to use a pez dispenser and have the main characters say at some point the words: lover, inventor, mentor, and founder.

David Young was an actor in one of the short films called “The Inventor.”

In 2006, Clinkenbeard and co-founder Kyaw Tha Hla started SATO based on their experiences in New York. They wanted to bring a taste of big city culture to Springfield, Clinkenbeard’s hometown.

“We thought, ‘Why don’t we create an event where the interesting people will come to us?’” Clinkenbeard said.

They also wanted to instill a big city work ethic into a community that has limited competition.

“In a big town, you’re always thinking on a larger stage,” Clinkenbeard said. “The competition is brisk and relentless, whereas here you can kind of coast and still be at the top of your game. That’s not true in other places.”

Clinkenbeard and some of the filmmakers also said that Springfield is lacking in not only competition, but an environment where creative projects are always happening.

“I spent a lot of time in New Orleans,” Young said. “There’s barely a week that goes by down there that someone’s not doing a project. I’d like to see that in Springfield.”

This year, SATO had just around 80 teams sign up to compete. Clinkenbeard and Hla wanted to create a diverse playing field where not only the young could compete but also the “young-at-heart.”

Clinkenbeard said bringing something of this nature to a small town is a great way to shed light on the artistic aspect of a community.

“Even in a big city, there’s a real interest and understanding of a community and giving back,” Clinkenbeard said.

Springfield resident Alex Aton made his first film with SATO this year called “Insurgency“.

“It’s not the most amazing thing we could have pictured,” Aton said, “But probably we were comparing ourselves on Hollywood scale so that might have been a little unreasonable. I think we did really well and we’ll probably do a lot better next year too.”

Aton said the experience of making a film in 48 hours was not easy. Aton described how he felt after finishing his movie and what he thought of his project.

After all the films were made, the Springfield downtown theater the Moxie screened each film over the course of a weekend. The screenings were open for anybody to come and watch.

On May 3 they also held an awards ceremony to celebrate some of the movies that went above and beyond.  Using a variety of judges from London, Berlin, Los Angeles, New York, and Bollywood, SATO had their own Oscars.  Even with those strict judges, it was an 11-year-old that stole the show in the script writing category.

With all the work that Clinkenbeard and Hla have done, they also wanted to highlight a culture of Springfield they feel isn’t as represented as others.

“Another take on the vast number of interpretations is a wake-up call for the community who thinks they know what their community standards are,” Clinkenbeard said. “They think the community is a church on every corner. That is a part of the community, but not the community in its entirety. This outpouring of films is also the community.”

While Clinkenbeard does want to turn Springfield into a “mecca” for the arts, he also knows it takes time.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” as some people say, but for Clinkenbeard and the SATO filmmakers, it could have been built in 48 hours.

Select Entries From SATO 48, 2012
Jizzy Jay: Heart of a Lion                  Match                                                                                Remember                                              Gray Pages                          Lights, Camera, Rapture                    No Oatmeal For Dummies
Insurgency                                              Discharge                                                Deceit

For other SATO short films go to youtube.com and type in SATO 48 2012.  Also for more information you can check out their facebook page here.

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Sources:

SATO 48 creators: Jeff Clinkenbeard, Kyaw Tha Hla

SATO 48 participators:  David Young, and Alex Aton

Contributions list:

Erin O’Keefe: photography, interviewing

Matt Francis: photography, interviewing

Wendy Wray: writing, reporting

Adam Hammons: photography, editing

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Helping Young Professionals Make A Connection With The Springfield Community

The Network focuses on informing its members about business operations within Springfield to give them an opportunity to engage in the professional landscape within the community. The purpose of the The Network is to help the young professionals make connections within the Springfield community.

“We really just try to show them the complete picture of Springfield,” Brothers said. “It can be really easy to get lost in your everyday busyness of life and you may not know what is just outside your arm’s reach.”

Getting the younger minds engaged in the community is the cornerstone of the groups mission. They do this through providing tours of local business and hold panels on civic matters.

“We have held some panels most recently about the 1/8th cent election for law enforcement here in Greene county,” Brothers said.

While Springfield is a big city, it is still small enough to be in contact with the people making decisions within the town.

“We are really hoping that the people in our group will step up and become those leaders in the near future,” Brothers said.

Guests are allowed to attend one event free of charge to find out a little bit more about it, but they do ask that people join. It’s $100 for professionals who work for a chamber member company, $50 for students and $200 for those who do not work for a chamber member company. This fee covers the cost of the events and food.

The IN.network

The Springfield Chamber of Commerce also tries to connect with college students with the IN.network, which organizes local internship programs. It is specifically for college students and occurs in June and July only. The purpose is to introduce students to the community and help them experience more than just college life. There are various panels that talk about HR and different job opportunities in the area.

IN.network will have a panel of young professionals that talk about why they stayed, or why they relocated to Springfield. There will also be panels that talk about the quality of life, such as park systems and various sporting events, theaters and the housing available in Springfield. It not only creates a way for students to make a connection with the community, but also helps interns to make connections with each other. It could be for anyone who is in college, no matter what they are majoring in.

Kristen Westerman, manager of workforce development, said

“We want them to think about staying in Springfield and we want them to realize there are opportunities here,” said Westerman. “It is important for young professionals to stay connected because they will be the next leaders of Springfield.”

This program is free to students and employers.

The enrollment form is on the website and there aren’t any requirements, but it is primarily for college students.

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Source List:

The Network

Mike Brothers, advisory board member for The Network

Kristen Westerman, manager of workforce development

The Chamber of Commerce Website

The city of Springfield

Attributions:

Interview with Mike Brothers, story: Matthew Barnes

Interview with Kristen Westerman, lead, story: Katie Lamb

Edits: Kevin Dietz and Lisbeth Sandoval

• Adderall and similar stimulants are necessary to those who need them but are easily abused by those who don’t.
• “Percentage wise, it is very widely a college trend, but it is not uncommon by any means when we get the high school and some of the middle school,” Moore said.
• Adderall can have negative health effects if used improperly and the buying and/or selling of the drug is a federal offense.
• There are holistic and safe alternatives to AD/HD medications. __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Springfield’s Prescription Drug Abuse Problem Can Be Offset By Holistic Treatment

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as AD/HD, causes people to have trouble paying attention and concentrating. AD/HD affects around three to five percent of children, but some experts estimate that percentage could be as high as eight or ten. While the disorder is most common in children, adults are also affected. Believed to diminish as the child ages, experts also question whether or not AD/HD can be outgrown.

Rick and Gloria Scarlet, Springfield Residents

Kara Andres, president of students for a sustainable future and the Director of Sustainability Committee for the Student Government Association at MSU

John Viau, the Sustainability Coordinator at Northwest Missouri State University

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

Student Government Association and Blog

Here is the link to our news package on solar energy in Missouri, Link

Technorati Tags: solar power, source list

College Campuses and Springfield Residents Use Solar Power as Efficient Renewable Energy Source

In Springfield’s center-city sits a modest yellow house with a front yard that is the dream of every green thumb. Flowers, bushes, vegetables, fruit trees and even a neighborhood sidewalk garden fill the landscape with a spectrum of spring colors.

Located at 720 South Fremont, Rick and Gloria Scarlet’s Rountree neighborhood home is much, much more than meets the captivated eye of passersby. The quaint house many travel past on a daily basis may just be the most energy efficient house in the city of Springfield, often generating more energy than necessary for its day-to-day functioning.

Table by: Ben Loewnau/ONJ

Through the use of a solar water heater, a wood cookstove, a sun oven and rain barrels, the Scarlet’s have managed to nearly go off the grid with energy from Springfield’s City Utilities. Despite still having an account with the company, the pair said they are doing all they can to conserve resources and keep energy local.

“Instead of of putting batteries in our basement [as a backup source of energy], which is pretty expensive, we use CU and it’s $8.50 a month now just to be hooked on them and we also have a small gas bill,” Rick Scarlet said.

Much of the eco-friendly success the Scarlet’s have seen can be linked back to the 12, 20,010 watt solar panels installed on a wooden pergola in 2009 on the east side of their home. Rather than placing the panels bought from Mountain Grove directly on top of their roof like many homeowners who invest in solar energy, the Scarlet’s decided to expand into their back yard, further away from trees, resulting in up to an hour more of sunlight each day.

“The first thing we did was make sure we made our house as efficient as possible,” Rick Scarlet said. “Because if we would have installed enough solar panels just to take care of the house the way it was when I moved in, we would’ve had to have four times more solar panels.”

Photo by: Ben Loewnau/ONJ

The Scarlet’s even received a 30 percent tax credit for installing their solar panels. As opposed to having a monthly utility bill averaging around $240 in their neighborhood, the couple often gets credited for producing extra kilowatts. Just last year, their solar panels helped produce 400 kW hours more than they needed and sold the energy back to City Utilities.

“I think it’s the smartest thing you can do,” Rick Scarlet said. “I think it’s a good return on your investment and you set your utility rates for the next 25 years with the panel’s warranty. There’s no way that utility rates are going to go down, they’re just going to go up.”

Right next door to the Scarlets, at Missouri State University, the Student Government Association moved to approve a resolution that would allow for the construction of a solar array that would be placed on top of the Duane G. Meyer Library on the West side of campus.

Universities and colleges across the entire state of Missouri are turning to alternative energy sources to become more efficient consumers and teach sustainable practices while educating students for the future.

Kara Andres, president of Students for a Sustainable Future and the Director of Sustainability Committee for the Student Government Association at MSU said energy from the solar panels would offset power that is currently in use.

Andres said the university currently receives their energy from city utilities but now with this solar array, MSU will be able to use some of their own renewable energy resources.

“We need to be leaders in the community and be doing something about it and using our resources and using what we have to be like innovators,” she said.

The proposal was just resolved and had been worked on by the committee since the fall semester, she said.

“The budget was approved so that means that the money will be taken out of the sustainability fund and be used to purchase the solar array,” she said.

According to the proposal and the SGA website and blog, the power absorbed from the solar array would offset 32,000 kilowatts that the fountain lights require to operate in front of the library. The website also stated that the cost of the array would be about $120,000.

According to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 293 campuses have installed over 470 solar photovoltaic panels in 43 states and provinces. The total overall capacity is 2,405,775 kilowatts (kW) with an average capacity of 5,151 kW per facility.
JViauFinal by Alyssa Lueth

Northwest Missouri State University installed a wall-mounted solar panel in 2009 to the “Rickman Electronic Campus Support Center,” or computer services, laptop distribution, and IT support building on campus. The purpose for installing the solar panel was to offset the electrical cost of running the computers and laptops within the building.

According to John Viau, the Sustainability Coordinator at Northwest Missouri State, “the university uses around 2.2 million kW hours per month*, or 24 million kW hours annually.”

The Rickman Center uses an average of 10,000 kW hours per month and the mounted solar panel supplies a monthly 400-500 kW hours.

According to the AASHE, Northwest Missouri State’s solar panel annually produces 4,800 kWh. However, “solar panels, while only supplying enough electricity for one office, becomes the foundation for recognizing the importance for alternative energy,” Viau said.

The number “2.2 million kW hours” came from the main meter out of 30 on campus from the June, 2010 electric bill for Northwest Missouri State University.

[View with PicLens]

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Contributions List:

Benjamen Loewnau: Interviews, Research, Photo, Writing, Graphic

Dayle Duggins: Interviews, Research, Gallery, Photos, Writing

Alyssa Lueth: Interviews, Research, Audio, Writing

David Hunton: Research

Table Information from: AASHE

Technorati Tags: Duane G. Meyer Library, energy, library, renewable energy, sga, solar energy, solar panels, sustainability

Information about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, including symptoms, causes, and medications.

Information about Adderall.

A list of home remedies for ADD and ADHD.

2010 Report Card on Substance Use and Abuse in Springfield-Greene County.

Community Partnership Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Division. 

 Differences between ADD and ADHD.