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Last week Linda Geist and I attended the 100th Anniversary of our alma mater, the University Of Missouri School Of Journalism and the 142nd Annual Convention of the Missouri Press Association. It was a time of reflection and a look ahead to the future of the newspaper industry. There have been many changes in not only the facilities at J-School since we were students, but rapid changes in technology and the ways people get their news.

As we once again walked between the lions that frame the walkway to the J-School complex, Linda commented that her first instructor in News 105 told his students once they had passed through those statues, their lives would never be the same. The citizens of Monroe City and surrounding area should be proud and grateful that she took that lesson to heart and accepted the challenge to keep good journalism alive for her home town. I have faith that as a newly elected member to the Board of Directors of the Missouri Press Association, she will also help member newspapers meet the challenge of change to fulfill their First Amendment rights and responsibilities to Freedom of the Press.

Did you know that in 1919 there were six weekly newspapers in Monroe County? Today there are two: The Lake Gazette and the Monroe County Appeal.

The Paris Mercury published between August 24, 1844 and January 9, 1942.

On October 9, 1868, the Monroe City Appeal was founded by M. C. Brown and H. A. Buchanan. In August 1873, B. F. "Pappy" Blanton and E. M. Anderson purchased the paper, changed the name to the Monroe County Appeal and moved the operation to Paris.

The first issue of the Monroe City News was published on January 14, 1875 and published until February 17, 2000.

Two more weeklies opened for business in 1898, the Stoutsville Banner in November and Monroe City Democrat in December. By August 15, 1913, the Banner had closed but the Democrat held on until the post-war price of newsprint closed their press in November 1919.

The Stoutsville Star published independently between 1919 and 1921, although a collection of those issues does not survive. The Monroe City News picked up their circulation and published as the News and Monroe County Star between December 1921 and September 1923.

The Madison Weekly Times had a long successful run between July 25, 1901 and December 30, 1971.

For a brief period both the Paris Mercury and Monroe City News published two papers a week.

Over the years newspapers have faced the same competitive pressures that changed rural America from a vibrant locally owned and operated business community to consolidation and corporate ownership. The Monroe County Appeal purchased the Paris Mercury on January 20, 1942 and acquired full ownership of the Madison Times in 1954. The Times ceased publication and was merged into The Appeal in January 1972. Today the paper is still locally owned and publishes as the Monroe County Appeal, Paris Mercury & Madison Times.

By the 1980s American business had evolved into a "bigger is better" mindset. On May 26, 1989, the NEWS was sold to American Publishing Company, a United States wholly-owned subsidiary of Hollinger Inc. of Canada. The company owned newspapers and shoppers in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, including 23 newspapers in Missouri. After 125 years as Monroe City's main source of local news, the News ceased publication on February 17, 2000. Linda Geist had founded The Lake Gazette just three years earlier, in April 1997, and it became a legal newspaper two weeks after the News closed. It is believed she is the first woman in the State of Missouri to found a successful legal newspaper.

In 1898 the Missouri Press Association, knowing that newspapers are the only long-term source of historical information about our communities, founded the State Historical Society at Columbia. The Society's collection now comprises over forty-one million pages and is the largest collection of state newspapers in the nation. Since the late 1930s, the Society has pursued an active program of preservation and microfilming. The Society regularly films all currently received newspapers now totaling nearly 300 titles. In addition to microfilming present-day newspapers, the Society remains active in locating and preserving old newspapers, including those from the above mentioned Monroe County publications.

Newspapers have been fighting to maintain their position as the primary source of reliable local information and advertising since the advent of the radio. In May 1923, Louis Wiley, business manager of the New York Times in his address before the Journalism Week visitors at Columbia, said, "Radio broadcasting will never take the place of newspapers because a newspaper is semi-permanent, and may be read any time, while, if the report over radio is missed, it is gone forever."

Today's publishers must compete for readers and advertising revenue with not only radio and television but the internet. Many of last week's seminars were devoted to helping local newspaper publishers develop survival skills for the 21st Century.

A 2007 survey conducted by The First Amendment Center, a national organization that presented the opening program for the J-School Centennial "Let Freedom Sing," found that a third of those interviewed thought the press has too much freedom and 60-plus percent believed the press is biased in its reporting or, worse, falsifies or makes up stories. A free press and freedom of information expert, Paul McMasters has said, "These responses are far too chilling for a healthy democracy."

Another First Amendment Center scholar, Ronald Collins, said, "The survey reveals a constant and firm support for robust free speech in wartime. This suggests that, with increasing frequency, Americans may no longer hold firm to the belief that patriotism is always synonymous with endorsing our government's involvement in this or that war or military conflict. If so, that is a most promising sign for a democracy truly committed to First Amendment principles. When it comes to the press, however, the survey suggests a more complicated, even nuanced, attitude about First Amendment freedoms. This could well be due to contemporary notions of the meaning of 'the press.' As the public perception of 'the press' changes - to encompass, for example, bloggers and TV pundits - so, too, do our attitudes about press freedom and responsibility. In that world, it may necessary, now more than ever, for the traditional press to take steps to buttress its own credibility and thus distinguish itself from its stepchildren."

Those dedicated newspaper publishers, like Linda Geist, who believe that the credo written a century ago by Walter Williams, the first dean of the University of Missouri Journalism School, is as valid today as it was then will continue to survive--not only as the community historian but advocate for open government and freedom of the press that is essential to our democracy. The final paragraph of the Journalists Creed is a weekly part of The Lake Gazette's publisher's statement.

The Journalists Creed

I believe in the profession of journalism.

I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.

I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.

I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.

I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.

I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one's own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another's instructions or another's dividends.

I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and cleanness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.

I believe that the journalism which succeeds best -- and best deserves success -- fears God and honors Man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power, constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of its readers but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world-comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today's world.

  374 080917 9/17/2008 his

By Hazel Bledsoe Smith
It appears that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Intermet Corporation.
According to court documents, since filing for bankruptcy protection on Aug. 12, Intermet has been working with major customer representatives to negotiate an accommodation agreement.

In a hearing on Sept. 8, a federal judge agreed to extend a hearing on whether or not to liquidate the assets of Intermet Corporation rather than allowing the company to reorganize its debt. The hearing was set for Tuesday, Sept. 16. The hearing was set after the court received a request from Capital Source Finance LLC., a commercial lender located in Maryland.
While commercial lenders agreed to the Sept. 16 extension they still expressed concern about deterioration of Intermet ‘s financial assets.

Matt Barr, the attorney of record for Intermet, told the court that Intermet has agreements in principal with most of its major customers but declined to get into specific details about the issues.

However, court records show that Intermet is proposing a 21 month price agreement with its suppliers while the company endeavors consolidation of its operation as it transitions through “filing and getting out of bankruptcy through a merger sale or through a standalone plan of reorganization.”

The court ordered Intermet to pay for utility services, including those services provided before the company filed for bankruptcy. The judge also authorized Intermet to provide a deposit “equal to two weeks of utility service.”

In return, utility companies, both local and national providers of electricity, sewer, water and phone services, were ordered to continue to supply services to Intermet. Monroe City and Palmyra were among the providers listed.

Monroe City Clerk Gary Osbourne reports that he received a check from Intermet for $246,751 on Monday, Sept. 8. When Intermet filed for bankruptcy in 2004, Monroe City had to eventually write off approximately $123,000 in utilities fees.

City Administrator Jim Burns said receiving this utility payment from Interment was very important since this amount was pre-petition utilities and could have been written off should Intermet be granted the Chapter 11 petition.

Burns said he felt that this was a good sign that Intermet wanted to stay in Monroe City. “Because if they wanted to close up shop why would they go ahead and pay a $250,000 bill?”

Intermet is a key city utility customer, providing approximately one-third of the city’s utility revenue.

With the prospect of Intermet going into either Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy, both Burns and Osbourne pointed out that the city is reducing its upcoming budget in case of the worst scenario for Intermet.

“This is a process that has to play out and in the meantime their employees continue to come to work and they are still in production. As we go forward, we can just hope for the best,” said Burns.

The group of major customers who withdrew their objection with the court against Intermet’s filing for Chapter 11 include General Motors, Chrysler and Chrysler affiliates. Although Ford Motor Company withdrew its objection to the Chapter 11 filing, it is not among the group included in the agreement discussion. Ford said it had endeavored to participate in the customer group but as the terms and conditions evolved, they simply were not acceptable to Ford. They cited tooling issues that need to be resolved.
Intermet, which has plants in Monroe City and Palmyra, cited a downturn in the automotive industry for the past two years when it filed for Chapter 11.
  365 080917 9/17/2008 nws

The City of Monroe will begin its annual “budget billing” plan in October.

Under the plan, a customer’s utility usage for the past 12 months is averaged and customers are given the opportunity to pay the bill in level installments. In October of he following year, the amount that the customer is ahead or behind is taken into consideration.
There are requirements for participating in the plan. An ad elsewhere in today’s Gazette gives that information. Participation is not automatic. Customers must contact City Hall to participate.

As a reminder, the City also offers automatic check withdrawal in which the utility bill payment can be automatically withdrawn from a customer’s checking account. City Clerk Gary Osbourne said this is an option that works well for many customers and prevents late pay penalties and postage charges. Again, participation is not automatic and you must contact City Hall to participate.
  366 080917 9/17/2008 nws

The Monroe City KFC/Taco Bell closed unexpectedly Friday at noon.

According to Jeff Bisch of Bischco, Inc., owners of the facility, “the closing of the Monroe City KFC/Taco Bell was a business decision made by the owners. We have no other comment.”

  367 080917 9/17/2008 nws

The local Daughters of Isabella were hosts for the annual state D of I convention held here last weekend. It was the first time that the local D of I had the privilege of bringing the statewide group here.

The annual State Workshop held in Monroe Cityfor the first time by the Daughters of Isabella proved to be a huge success.

With around 78 women attending from 12 Missouri chapters, the local Regent of the D of I Sonja Greeves was pleased with the result of many days of preparation with the help of her team and lots of members. The team, with Greeves, was Dorothy Shively, Cheryl Elliott, Janet Painter, Rose McNally, Jane Wilson, Becky Thomas and Dede Yager. All activities were held in the K of C hall.

State Rep. Paul Quinn (D-9) welcomed the ladies. Mary Jo Ballenger, state regent, led the pledge of allegiance and a discussion of the year's activities. She also presented awards.

There were three speakers during the day. Father Timothy Armbuster, state chaplain, spoke on some of his experiences as a priest; Juanita Yates, a D of I member, discussed the importance of raising healthy and happy children; and W. T. Johnson gave his impersonation of Father Augustus Tolton, the first full-blooded black priest in the United States. All talks were well received.

Following the program for the day, the women, accompanied by Father Timothy Armbruster, and Father Bill Flanagan, went to St. Stephen Church in Indian Creek, for a memorial service for all deceased members of the D of I. Despite the downpour of rain, the event was well attended and appreciated.

The women attended Mass at Holy Rosary at 5:30 followed by a dinner and entertainment provided by Dorothy Kern, pianist.
Sunday morning a beautiful Scriptural Rosary was recited by a large crowd, followed by a breakfast cooked by the K of C men. A Birthright Shower along with hearty good byes and appreciative remarks were made by the visiting women of various circles.
This was the first year Monroe City D of I had hosted a statewide workshop.
  372 080917 9/17/2008 nws

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