Get your ironhorse ready for the Posse Poker Run on Saturday...

The Bates County Sheriff's Posse's 2nd Annual Poker Run will be held next Saturday, September 8th. Registration starts at 1:00 at the Bates County Courthouse Lawn. The Poker Run will leave the square at 2:00 and head to the Hume Park for the first stop. From there, the motorcycles will stop at the Drexel City Park. They will then head to the Adrian Elks Lodge and then on to the Ballard School. The last stop will be at the Bates County Law Enforcement Museum. The route is approximately 120 miles. The best poker hand will win $100.00 cash. The cost to ride in the Poker Run is $15.00 for the driver and $5.00 for the passenger. 

All proceeds from the event will go to the restoration fund of the Bates County Law Enforcement Museum.

- our thanks to Jami Page

Rich Hill police department weekly report

Rich Hill Police Department Activity Report

August 27, 2012 to September 02, 2012

08-27-2012

 

08-28-2012

 

08-29-2012

SPEAK TO OFFICER

AGENCY ASSIST

ANIMAL AT LARGE

 

08-30-2012

CARELESS & IMPRUDENT DRIVING

CHECK WELL BEING

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY / VEHICLE / PERSON

 

08-31-2012

VANDALISM

 

09-01-2012

MVA HIT & RUN

 

09-02-2012

STRANDED MOTORIST

Bates County Sheriff's Department weekly report

Bates County Sheriff’s Office Activity Report

August 27, 2012 to September 02, 2012

08-27-2012

TRESPASSING-Foster

CARELESS & IMPRUDENT DRIVING-Butler

SPEAK TO OFFICER-Adrian

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY / VEHICLE / PERSON-Butler

AGENCY ASSIST-Butler

DOMESTIC-Adrian

 

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

WWII aircraft factory workers. Many were trained on
the spot and worked tirelessly to build the much needed
equipment during a time of war.

Labor Day is much more than a 'last blast' at the lake weekend or family barbecues. Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

Rosie: By Any Other Name - The Riveting True Story of the Labor Icon

Labor Day 2012 is upon us and one of the best known laborer icons in history is "Rosie the Riveter". But was she a real person?

Certainly, one of the more readily recognizable icons of labor is "Rosie the Riveter," the indefatigable World War II-era woman who rolled up her sleeves, flexed her arm muscles and said, "We Can Do It!" But, this isn't the original Rosie.

In 1942, as World War II raged in Europe and the Pacific and the song "Rosie the Riveter" filled radio waves across the home front, manufacturing giant Westinghouse commissioned artist J. Howard Miller to make a series of posters to promote the war effort. One such poster featured the image of a woman with her hair wrapped up in a red polka-dot scarf, rolling up her sleeve and flexing her bicep. At the top of the poster, the words ‘We Can Do It!' are printed in a blue caption bubble. To many people, this image is "the" Rosie the Riveter. But it was never the intention to make this image "Rosie," nor did many Americans think of her as "Rosie." The connection of Miller's image and "Rosie" is a recent phenomenon.

The "Rosie" image popular during the war was created by illustrator Norman Rockwell (who had most certainly heard the "Rosie the Riveter" song) for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on May 29, 1943 — the Memorial Day issue. The image depicts a muscular woman wearing overalls, goggles and pins of honor on her lapel. She sports a leather wrist band and rolled-up sleeves. She sits with a riveting tool in her lap, eating a sandwich, and "Rosie" is inscribed on her lunch pail. And, she's stepping on a copy of Adolph Hitler's book "Mein Kampf."

The magazine cover exemplified the American can-do spirit and illustrated the notion of women working in previously male-dominated manufacturing jobs, an ever-growing reality, to help the United States fight the war while the men fought over seas.

The cover was an enormous success and soon stories about real life "Rosies" began appearing in newspapers across the country. The government took advantage of the popularity of Rosie the Riveter and embarked on a recruiting campaign of the same name. The campaign brought millions of women out of the home and into the workforce. To this day, Rosie the Riveter is still considered the most successful government advertising campaign in history.

After the war, numerous requests were made for the Saturday Evening Post image of Rosie the Riveter, but Curtis Publishing, the owner of the Post, refused all requests. The publishing company was possibly concerned that the composers of the song "Rosie the Riveter" would hold them liable for copyright infringement.

Since then, the J. Howard Miller "We Can Do It!" image has replaced Norman Rockwell's illustration as "Rosie the Riveter" in the minds of many people. Miller's Rosie has been imprinted on coffee mugs, mouse pads, and countless other items, making her and not the original "Rosie" the most famous of all labor icons.

More rain possible later this week...

TODAY - Mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs in the lower 90s. Light and variable winds.

TONIGHT - Clear. Lows in the upper 60s. Light and variable winds.

LABOR DAY - Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 90s. Light and variable winds. Heat index readings 100 to 105.

MONDAY NIGHT - Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 70s. Light and variable winds.

TUESDAY - Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 90s. Light and variable winds.

TUESDAY NIGHT - Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s.

WEDNESDAY - Partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 90s.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY - Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s. Highs in the upper 80s.

THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY - Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s. Highs in the mid 80s.

FRIDAY NIGHT - Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 60s.

SATURDAY - Mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s.

Hurricane Isaac Donations and Volunteers – How to Help

Remember “Cash is Best”

Financial contributions to voluntary agencies can be used to purchase specific needed items on scene which helps the local economy and prevents voluntary partners from having to transport items at great expense. See the links below to donate cash to the active voluntary agencies working in the state of your choice.

Collecting Goods Is Not Favored
Clothing, household items, and food are best provided by well-funded voluntary agencies and not through the expensive process of collecting, sorting, packaging, transporting, receiving, sorting, and distributing of goods. But if you do host a collection, know the facts: (1) what is needed, (2) where it is needed, (3) who will receive and distribute it, and (4) how they want it packaged and shipped. Speak to voluntary agencies working the disaster to determine what the specific needs are before you collect. Better yet, post an offer of goods at the links provided below for the state of your choice. Voluntary partners and emergency management will review your offer and advise you if it is needed.

Volunteering Your Time
The best way to volunteer after disaster is through affiliating with a recognized disaster-related voluntary agency. Unconnected volunteers who show up at disaster sites are called “spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers” and often require the support of already busy agencies and officials. It’s better to volunteer through an organization, a church, or at a minimum, by connecting with the volunteer coordination offices in the state of your choice. 

To donate or volunteer, go to one of these state sites:
Alabama www.ndmn.us/al
Arkansas www.ndmn.us/ar
Florida www.ndmn.us/fl
Louisiana www.ndmn.us/la
Mississippi www.ndmn.us/ms
Texas www.ndmn.us/tx

For more information:
Larry Buckner Mark Davis
FEMA Region IV (FL, AL, MS) FEMA Region VI (TX, LA)
Donations Specialist Donations Specialist charles.buckner@fema.dhs.gov mark.davis2@fema.dhs.gov

Protecting Our Children From Harm

In a world where we can get caught up in the daily grind, we sometimes lose sight of the smaller things, the most important things. Next week, Sept. 1 through Sept. 7, is National Childhood Injury Prevention Week. I want to utilize this week to offer some helpful tips and reminders.

This summer, there have been 23 deaths in this country due to people accidently leaving children in hot, locked cars. According to Safe Kids USA, 443 children died from heat stroke after being left in locked cars between the years of 1998 to 2009. Childhood injuries are the cause of approximately 16,000 deaths in the United States yearly. More than 70 percent of these fatalities are the result of accidental injury. According to a study by Washington University in St. Louis, the rate of Missouri’s child fatalities due to unintentional injuries in 2008 was 20.02 per 100,000 children. These numbers could be significantly lowered by merely putting basic common sense into action.