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The final Margin Call
July 9, 2009 in: Margin Call
The goat was unforgettable. Just a little kid, he weighed less than a pound. The farmer who raised him was delighted to talk to a News-Press reporter about the adorable little creature. Other story assignments provided some exciting experiences, but the ones that linger most are ordinary people. The Harms family at Weatherby shared about [...]
continue readingMargin Call: Raising a glass to dreamers
June 25, 2009 in: Margin Call
If you’re feeling down about the future of American business, may I suggest buying milk. Trek out to the Shatto Milk Co. country store near Osborn and chug a glass of ice-cold chocolate milk. It will be refreshing on a hot day and the story behind it is pure inspiration in a bottle. The first [...]
continue readingOne facebook friend at a time
June 18, 2009 in: Margin Call
Of all the things Facebook has given our society, the greatest, I believe, is that it has transformed the word friend into a verb. Before the social networking site pervaded interactions, you could only make friends or be friends. On Facebook, you put up a page with your photos, as much personal information as you [...]
continue readingMargin Call: Pony Express rides again!
June 15, 2009 in: Margin Call
Pony Express Rider Dueling mayors attended the send-off for the Pony Express this week. Mayor Ken Shearin, standing tall in a Stetson, administered the oath to the riders who on Tuesday morning re-enacted the historic event of the first letter to leave St. Joseph for the West Coast. From the rooftop of the Patee House [...]
continue readingMargin Call: A potholed path to progress
June 3, 2009 in: Margin Call
Fear of a flat tire kept me from making it all the way down the next great Avenue of Progress. Beaver Street is poised to be the long-awaited viaduct into St. Joseph’s industrial South Side. A new bridge will spring off King Hill Avenue, span the railroad tracks and touch down just east of Stockyards [...]
continue readingMargin Call: Show me a recovery
May 28, 2009 in: Margin Call
On the quiz “How Missouri Are You?” I earned the top score. Except for one best-forgotten year, I have lived in Missouri my whole life. That’s why you’ll have to “show me.” Consumer confidence shot up this month. The move was unexpected by economists, but not to most working folks. The economists simply underestimated how [...]
continue readingMargin Call: Mirage vision of downtown
May 22, 2009 in: Margin Call
Consultants, with the trendiest of vocabulary, recently met with “stakeholders” to “map out” a “vision” for revitalizing Downtown St. Joseph. I sat in on a bit of the planning session. It included a survey of Downtown’s strengths and weaknesses. I didn’t turn my survey in for the consultants, so I’ll share my responses here. What [...]
continue readingGarden is where the heart is
May 14, 2009 in: Margin Call
The sun broke through the light haze of a July morning in Northwest Missouri. It was Fourth of July and with family visiting, we were up early to get the most out of the day. I ventured out to the garden, the sense of expectation building as I walked down the green bean row to [...]
continue readingMargin Call: A tip for the tight fisted
May 7, 2009 in: Margin Call
The teacher can be pleased that she motivated me to do some math. The teacher placed a call to “It’s your call” with a word of warning. She — I just picture the caller as a woman — said she had endured her third pay freeze and was having to watch her money. As a [...]
continue readingMargin Call: Industry Stinks
April 30, 2009 in: Margin Call
A drive down Stockyards Expressway is like a field trip for your nose. American Walnut smells like a forest on an autumn day. The chemical manufacturers generate a sweet, sticky odor. The St. Joseph Stockyards smell like farm-fresh manure. Triumph Foods gives a whiff of singed hair on rendering days; other times it’s more like [...]
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