WTF? Open Comments Encourage Good Discussion; Readers Be Good Though!

January 30, 2014

Someone recently asked the New Wentzvillian to allow comment posting with little to no "moderator" restrictions.

We at the New Wentzvillian would like our readers to know that, with the exception of some long stints when the blog was virtually abandoned (between political cycles really), our staff has NEVER really restricted comments.  Comments HAVE always gone through technical approval first because the New Wentzvillian wanted to avoid rude comments with cursing and the like.

 However, we will now let comments post instantly and only remove them in the event they are deemed to be VERY offensive. Things like personal home addresses and cussing will more than likely be removed -- everything else, within reason, is a GO.  Our readers can be the judge and if we are asked to remove a comment specifically; we will quickly consider that as well. Or, if we remove something; email us and we will reconsider.

But FOR NOW, you WILL SEE your COMMENTS posted IMMEDIATELY. Let's get the party started.

So comment away Wentzville, but consider that if you are posting anonymously; well, maybe you are a bit to cowardly to join the fray. Let's face it; most the people who read this itty bitty blog are the ones the content is about -- so it's not too hard to figure out who comments in over the top mean spirited ways.

Jay Webber To Remove Himself From Ward 1 Ballot

January 28, 2014

The April 2014 race for Wentzville's ward 1 just got a little less crowded. The New Wentzvillian learned of this possibility a day or so ago, but wanted to confirm it with Mr. Webber himself.


". . . I am withdrawing from the race for personal reasons mainly with my family and time constraints," said Webber in a message sent directly to the New Wentzvillian.

Hussey

This leaves only Forrest Gossett and Robert Hussey vying for the seat. Unconfirmed word is that Hussey is already pounding the pavement and is pleased with the new competitive landscape for Ward 1's election this April.

Gossett

The development of a two-man race should mean that the two remaining candidates do not need to worry about a diluted vote count.  Conventional wisdom is that a multi-candidate ballot (three or more) is tougher to assess than a simple two-person race. It's now possible that key relationships, hard work, and candidate histories can play more critical roles in voter decisions.


UPDATE 12:00 a.m. Midnight 1-29-14, Candidate Robert Hussey messagesd the New Wentzvillian with the following regarding Webber's exit:  "I love it . . . He would've been a strong candidate. And quite frankly, it takes a little stress off me not to have to go up against him. I respect his decision."

UPDATE 5:00 p.m. 1-29-14, Candidate Forrest Gossett just now emailed the New Wentzvillian the following message:  "Jay ran a great campaign in the 2012 election where we each focused on issues. I respect his decision. Family comes first. I hope he continues to serve our citizens as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission."

Beware of The Fake Wentzvillian!

Our readers may or may not know that there is another online blog that uses a similar name to the New Wentzvillian's. If you should occasion upon it; please know that it is NOT AFFILIATED with the New Wentzvillian; but, rather, is run by this man:

Larry Marshal

It's our understanding that Mr. Marshall is a cheeky fellow. The New Wentzvillian has never engaged him personally, but we do know that he continually shares a LOT of OPINIONS about political on goings and players in, well, Wentzville. He does this in his personal blog.

What's funny about Larry's blog is that it is so blatantly devoid of any real journalistic pursuit that the New Wentzvillian's take (we have a couple lawyers that work for us) is that Marshall will never have to worry about being sued.  Here is how the court room testimony might play out in a law suit against Larry for defamation or malicious and wanton disregard for the truth (after he was properly prepped by his attorneys):

_____________________________________________________________

Judge: "Mr. Marshall, Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

Marshall: "Umm, Yes." (New Wentzvillian comedic commentary on Larry's ACTUAL internal thoughts -- umm, it's been a long time since I contemplated the truth, at least while typing anyway)

FAST FORWARD TO THE GOOD STUFF

Plaintiff's Lawyer: "So you've stated that you run a blog about Wentzville politics; would you say it is more like a news paper or the Enquirer?"

Marshall: "It's definitely not a newspaper."

Plaintiff's Lawyer: "So, then, the Enquirer?"

Marshall: "No, it's my own personal blog where I share my opinions."

Plaintiff's Lawyer: "Opinions, Ok; so, you don't think anyone could have understood your musings to be based in fact?"

Marshall: "If they did, that is their fault, just read it; you can tell it's just opinions, but I guess there are some facts about, like, well, the fact that the city council met on a given night and such."

Plaintiff's Lawyer: "So, when you write in your 'blog' that Wentzville's Mayor is backing certain candidates and running vote-siphoning candidates; well, is that fact, fiction, or, as you said -- your opinion?"

Marshall: "Everyone in town knows that's true."

Plaintiff's Lawyer: "So then that's a verifiable fact, right? So, you have the source here with you as an additional witness today to buttress your claims or some other type of sworn affidavit or paperwork? Surely you have SOMETHING, since EVERYONE in town knows!!"

Marshall: "It's common knowledge, I don't need a source for a blog; that's why they call it a blog."

Plaintiff's lawyer: "So, you would have the court believe that you shouldn't be held accountable for anything in your blog because, NO ONE SHOULD, well, believe anything in it, right? It's really just your opinion and your opinion only? Am I understanding you correctly?"

END YOUR (the reader) MENTAL IMAGE OF THE COURT ROOM NOW

_______________________________________________________________

So, as you no doubt can deduce; we here at the New Wentzvillian do not give a lot of weight to ANYTHING that is written by Mr. Marshall.  Perhaps, you, reading this right now, feel the same way about the authors of this piece. That's for you to decide, but the New Wentzvillian felt that it owed some level of responsibility to its namesake -- the City of Wentzville -- and should try to shed some light on the difference between an opinion in a blog and a real story that is based on some sort of verifiable facts and/or reality.

Court actions against journalists do occur -- look it up they are often referred to as S.L.A.P. suits -- and every "journalist" should have his/her own version of a little judge or lawyer in the back of their mind every time they decide to write something about another business or human being that the piece could affect. To be sure, most degreed journalists are forced at some point to watch a little movie with Sally Fields and Paul Newman by the name of "Absence of Malice." That's our first real elementary-school type lesson that an author of a piece should not make stuff up.

Unless, however, as we believe must be the case with Mr. Marshall's blog, the author knows that nothing s/he is writing is ever to be taken as fact or any kind of representation of reality.  So, you are safe Mr. Marshall.

Justin Bieber Can Use DidYouBlow.com St Louis DWI Firm Will Handle Case For A Song

Bieber Just May Be Able To Sing His Way Out of His Latest DWI Troubles (Click Here for DidYouBlow.com Song)

ST. LOUIS, MO, January 23, 1014 -- A Local DWI law firm, DWI Center (DidYouBlow.com), is offering to handle Justin Bieber's recent DWI run-in for a song.  Mike Carter of Carter Law Offices, LLC (operator of the DWI Center), is reaching out to pop star Justin Bieber before he hires the wrong lawyer.  Documents show Bieber to have counsel on retainer, but that he has not hired a DWI attorney specifically.  Carter will need to gain pro hoc vice status in Florida.

According to the Huffington Post, Justin Bieber was allegedly arrested last night by the Miami Beach Police Department upon suspicion of DUI, resisting arrest, and expired license. The arresting officers allege that Bieber's friends had blocked off a portion of a residential street, and that Bieber was seen drag racing in a rented yellow Lamborghini down the closed off corridor. The officer's report states that Bieber smelled strongly of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes, and that Bieber resisted arrest by refusing to place his hands on the vehicle and stand still for a pat down at the officer's request. Bieber wasn't asked to submit to field sobriety tests until after he arrived at the holding facility, where officers say that he "failed to perform to standards." Bieber later agreed to submit to a breath test as well as a drug evaluation.

St. Louis DWI Attorney Mike Carter said of Bieber's situation that "our DWI Center (DidYouBlow.com) will be glad to handle Justin's case for a song.  We have been experiencing such success defending DWI cases that we have put together the most informative DWI website in the service sector.  We have also put an extremely catchy song on the radio which we would now like Mr. Bieber  to sing for us. It's win win; he gets top level DWI defense and we get top level talent for our DidYouBlow.com  song."

DWIs aren't just business for Carter, who was personally accused of a bad DWI himself in the past. "I was found innocent by a jury in 9 minutes, but I lived through the stress of facing a DWI charge and I know first-hand what people go through. I wanted to help."

Michael E. Carter Lawyer/Former Judge

Carter's urge to help has paid off. Here are just a few of the firm's numerous successes this past year:

·  DWI DISMISSED -- In a North St. Louis Municipality, a young man was accused of DWI for the second time in just a few months. Carter's team tackled the man's second DWI and was able to win the administrative hearing regarding the loss of his license, and have the criminal charges against him completely dismissed after showing that the officer did not follow the proper procedures in administering the breath test.

·  DISABLED MAN FALSELY ACCUSED -- A man with a mild neurological disorder was accused of DWI even after explaining to the officer that his condition could cause symptoms frequently associated with intoxication. Carter was able to win the man's administrative hearing so that he would not lose his license, and had the man's criminal charges completely dismissed. 

·  FELONY THROWN OUT -- In a state court, Carter had a client who was facing felony charges as a prior and persistent offender. Carter was able to successfully discount one of the priors to have the charge lowered down to a misdemeanor. Carter later succeeded in having the entire case dismissed. Carter also won this client's license case, so the man never faced any adverse consequences from his DWI stop.

·  LICENSE KEPT -- When a man was arrested after crashing his car into an embankment in a western Metro municipality, Carter was able to help the Defendant keep his license by winning the administrative hearing, and was able to successfully negotiate the DWI down to a lesser offense. 

·  DRIVING RECORD PRISTINE -- When a man lost his administrative case after blowing .088%, Carter requested a trial de novo and succeeded in both having the man's license reinstated, and having any mention of the DWI removed from his driving record.

Carter says it is important to remember a few things if you are ever accused of DWI. First, you cannot avoid a suspension or revocation of your license if you do not contest it nearly immediately. Second, DWI is a highly complex area of law. If you want to have the best possible outcome in your case, you need to hire an attorney who knows all the ins and outs of DWI law and is immersed in it daily, not someone who just dabbles in it from time to time.

To get more information, check out these websites at www.DidYouBlow.com, www.DwiCenter.com, or www.45BUCKS.com 

TrafficSTL.com

Wentzville Alderperson, Take Your Pick -- Athlete, Salesman, Realtor or, Heck, A Nice Lady

The New Wentzvillian has a good working knowledge of nearly all the newly filed aldermanic candidates.  Here's the official list from city hall for the April 2014 election in the order they will appear on the ballot (with a bit of Editorial Commentary on each):


Ward 1

Gossett

FORREST GOSSETT -- New Wentzvillian has an in-person interview to share in the next couple of days about this
candidate's overall approach to governance. It appears he likes systems, delegation, staff and upper-level decision making.

Hussey

ROBERT HUSSEY  -- Has proven himself to be a VERY hard worker and anyone in this race for Ward 1 knows that he is not going to sit in his house posting TOPIX, Wentzvillian, and New Wentzvillian
comments.  We are quite sure Mr. Hussey will grant us an interview.  He sells real estate and his wife is an actress.

Webber

JAY WEBBER  -- A nicer guy the New Wentzvillian has not met.  He reminds the New Wentzvillian of the current mayor somewhat.  Chats with you as if YOU know what you are saying and has the working knowledge to interact with anyone about any and all Wentzville ongoings. He has nearly won an aldermanic race before; coming just shy of victory by some 10 or so votes.







Ward 2

Vining

PATRICK VINING  -- This guy loves math!  Uh oh, what does that mean? The New Wentzvillian doesn't purport to know, but we do know Mr. Vining better than ANY CANDIDATE running this April.  We are quite sure he will grant an interview because we only need meet up at Panera again for the umpteenth time to conduct it. Oh, and the guy was a high-level athlete in college and is now built like a brick you know what -- he really really likes exercise.  Look around, he has YouTubes!!!

MICHAEL RHOADES  --  At this point, Michael is the New Wentzvillian mystery candidate.  We literally (that's a big word with the kids these days too and means something different than 'literally' somehow) have no information about this fellow.  He is the candidate we would like to interview first. Maybe Mr. Rhoades works out (word is he is a karate guy) too and we can invite both candidates to Guns and Hoses to decide the race in a physical contest of some kind.

Rhoades

  We do like that his name reminds us of "Rhodes Scholar;" so, maybe Pat and Mike will serve as our
EDUCATED TICKET!!




Ward 3

Wright

LINDA WRIGHT -- We have not interviewed her, but have met her briefly and witnessed her interesting missives to constituents the last time she made a respectable run for alderperson. The personally written letter approach was a truly novel one.  The New Wentzvillian hopes to bring its readers an interview.

Stokes

RICK STOKES -- He's no fan of the New Wentzvillian, but we believe him to be a decent fellow although one audio recording that a New Wentzvillian reader shared with us is, well, a little odd.  We hope to play it for you and get Mr. Stokes comments.  The harborer of the recording is a bit skiddish.

FORMER JUDGE AND TEACHER DEMANDS ST. LOUIS AREA SCHOOLS REMAIN CLOSED ON FRIDAY

Starting a New Semester on a Friday Would be Pointless and Dumb.

 

ST. LOUIS, MO, January 9, 2014-- Several St. Louis area schools have remained closed all week in the wake of the "Polar Vortex" aka Snowpocalypse II, pushing back the start of a new semester. With the near-certain end of this unexpected boon for area schoolchildren looming before us tomorrow,  Michael E. Carter, a teacher, former judge, and owner of Traffic Law Counselors, has taken it upon himself to demand that area schools remain closed just one more day.

 "We all remember how exciting it was as a kid to have a snow day. Why not give them all one more? Nothing major happens on the first day back of a new semester anyway, and starting it out on a Friday would be pointless and dumb. Besides, there are still lots of neighborhoods that aren't safe for driving. Do you really want your kids walking to schools and bus stops in such treacherous conditions?"

Carter's law office, Traffic Law Counselors, handles a large number of traffic cases and has firsthand knowledge of the number of school zone speeding tickets that are handed out on a regular basis. "People speed, people drive recklessly, not to mention the dangers of letting loose all those high school aged drivers in these conditions. Let's just let them stay home. It's a win-win."

STL TNT Still Relevant -- 50000 Calls During Weather Snap 321-2522

Record Breaking cold and snowfall in the St Louis Metro area has a lot of folks holed up, but they still have a very healthy curiosity about what's outside their four comfy walls.

St Louis Time and Temperature -- which can be dialed at 321-2522 from any area code -- has received over 50,000 calls the past couple of days.

Attorney Mike Carter, who runs the service says "our free TNT service normally does see a massive call spike at daylight savings time and during super hot and super cold snaps, but I have really never seen this big of a jump in calls."

The St Louis winter storm the past couple of days is very reminiscent of the 1982 St Louis blizzard when children and some adults were off school and work for as many as 5 business days.

Most schools now in 2014 have already called off school tomorrow in addition to today.

"I think we ended up with two dumpings in 1982 -- when I was in like 3rd or 4th grade -- and the accumulation got up to like 24 total inches. We didn't get THAT much this time, but it sure seemed a lot more windy and blizzard like this time around to me. I actually made it down to Forest Park yesterday from o'Fallon MO for our must-go snow sledding. However, it was simply too cold and windy to really make a go of it once there. So, of course, we went to warm cozy great grandma's house in Hazelwood and visited for a time," said Carter

All People in the St Louis area can dial 321-2522 -- the nearly 100 year old Time and Temperature service phone number -- from their home or cell phone for free 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for the most accurate time, temperature and short weather forecast provided by the National Weather Service.

Mike Carter bought the service in 2005 after Bank of America decided the service didn't work with its marketing mix.

Yay Yay Snow Sledding At Rotary Park With Dogs

Rightfully so, Wentzville's mayor and alderpersons are flooding Facebook with warnings of the impending snow tonight. First, out of my own civic duty I guess I should share with you that they seem particularly concerned with getting your dang cars off the streets. So there you go.

However, and more importantly, what I think is most concerning is how sad I am that we (I, You, Yours, Theirs, Me) won't be able to sleigh ride through Rotary park while the Christmas lights are still burning bright. :(  I can see rounding up 11 or so Wentzville dogs (ones that haven't been outlawed by the peculiar new Wentzville dog ordinances) to pull me on my sled in and out of each of the 12 days of Christmas light display (the coolest part of all the lights, yes, even cooler than the bridge thingy). 

"Whoaaa, watch out for those doves; they can drop nastier things than that one Duck Dynasty dude. Hey, hey, hey, on Wentzville's Pitbulls, on you foamin Rot, faster you pinchin Dober; we've no time for those maids' milk; you can get a drink when I say my ride is good and over. Scccrrreeeeccchhhh!!! Holy dog poo; what's the matter scooby? Are the pipers playin dog whistles? Mush, mush, mush, get on, on, on; we're marchin to MY drum not those 12 guys over there. On, on, on, get on!! I want to see that fish constantly jumping in the pond ahead!!!!"

So . . . I say the snow coming tonight is of no concern whatsoever. Embrace it! Love it! Lay down in it (be sure and take a picture and, heck, let someone PHOTO BOMB it). Make a snow angel (a good one). Wrestle in it (it is better than a gym mat). Tinkle in it (it turns yellow and you can blame it on one of those dogs above). Grab some and shove some in your kids face while shooting a VINE VIDEO of it -- use a HASH TAG like #SnowSmack.  And, and . . .  for Pete's sake . . . Do not . . . Do not touch a shovel -- hire someone for that!!!!

No really, I actually sorta like shoveling the the one lane of our driveway directly behind my wife's garage bay -- that makes her happy-ish (she wants it all done) and, pun intended, keeps me out of the doghouse.

Oh, and as an aside; how come when you get through the light display at Rotary Park the attendants don't say, "hey, if you'd like to turn around and go again it's only $3 instead of $8"?