Who's going to work there?

So special interests got their way at last week's Ely City Council meeting and Slot Parlors are now legal in Ely.  Yes, you have to have a restaurant and bar, but this slap in the face of people who actually invested in our community by a couple of locals who are better than you will have additional unintended consequences.  In a community that continues to lose population year after year, who’s going to work there?  We just lost another restaurant in Ely with the closing of the Cellblock, EmployNV tells us there are over a hundred jobs available including postal, sheriff's office, and the prison. If we can’t fill those good-paying jobs, how do we propose to fill lower-paying jobs?  Opinions mine, not necessarily those of the station, management, or sponsors...but they ought to be. 

Opposing opinions are welcome. 

The killing of a president - 60 years later.

 Over the years, I've viewed myself as being many things.  Journalist, analyst, historian. Each November, I look back at the coverage of the assassination of President Kennedy, the first killing of a president in the age of electronic media. Thanks to a YouTuber by the name of David Von Pein we have some of that day as viewed and heard on Television and Radio on that fateful day.  

Sixty years later, I marvel at the intellect and dignity that so many newsrooms, even third-tier ABC, displayed in the reporting of the news.  ABC, without what we would call today a "breaking news" set, constructed the set on air and still brought its viewers the story.  

Looking at the huge technological advances of today's time - instant video, instant analysis - I yearn for the journalists of that era.  We owe our nation, our world, so much better. 

COMMENTARY BY ALEX DREIER OF THE ABC RADIO NETWORK ON 11/22/63

COMMENTARY BY PAUL HARVEY (11/22/63) (ABC RADIO NETWORK)

ABC-TV COVERAGE OF JFK'S ASSASSINATION ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963

Photos of interest

 

1999 at the late Horseshoue hotel in Las Vegas. This display was sold off as the bills were worth more as collectables than a million dollars

2013 trip to Panglao Island in the Philippines

With my microphone

On the air..

Your right to know centers on Marion County Kansas case.

If you, dear reader, only knew how many pressures come onto publishers of news, you would wonder why we do it.

Yes, the First Amendment of our United States Constitution is under constant attack, both by Governmental Sources and by private individuals and businesses.   But none so blatant and illegal as the incident in the tiny hamlet of Marion, Kansas.

The tiny community of just over 1900 in a county (Marion county) of 11,000 is the center of governmental overreach in suppression of the First Amendment.  It is a convoluted story that requires some understanding.

It appears to be a case of good old boys trying to protect friends.

A reporter for the Record was trespassed from a public forum with local politicians held at Kari’s Kitchen, owned by 46 year old Kari Newell.  The local businesswoman accused the Marion County Record of getting information on her 2008 DUI case illegally (which is public information) which would prevent her from getting a liquor license.  The paper had investigated the DUI, but did not publish a story.  

Newell’s demands managed to get a search warrant, which not only disrupted the operations of the newspaper, but the raid on the home of 98 year old co-owner Joan Meyer was so stressful that she passed away the next day.  The raid, headed by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody, is also tainted by the revelation that the chief was being investigated by the paper on charges of Sexual Misconduct.  Cody had been with the Kansas City Police Department but left following allegations of Sexual Misconduct.  He was hired as Chief of the Marion County Police Department in late April. Marion City Vice Mayor Ruth Herbel also had her home raided as a part of this sham warrant and her 88 year old disabled husband, who suffers from dementia, was likewise traumatized by the raid.  

This is America?

This is the making of a mini-series, but it shows people the extremes of suppression that newsrooms and publishers face every day.

Former editor of the Ely Times Kent Harper and I discussed how people would contact us threatening us to not report stories of their family members being involved in criminal activity.  Sheriff Scott Henriod has told me of people demanding their family members not be published in the Sheriff’s Blotter Report.  People trying to suppress public information.  

Business owners take out their frustration against publishers by using the power of the purse strings and refusing to advertise.  That is their right.  But it hurts our efforts to bring you the news and information you need.  Unlike Social Media, we vet and investigate stories, not just reporting rumors.  I’ve held off on reporting stories for days until I could get complete verification and the ENTIRE story, just not rumors.  

Local media is the heart of a community.  It is under attack by people and businesses who disagree with the news - the truth - reported by local media.  Without the truth, corruption grows unchecked, and communities are subject to the “Golden Rule” - they who have the gold, make the rules.

Only by electing responsible people to office can we continue to hold on to our rights.  All politics are local.  Unless we insist our elected officials operate under our laws, we will see our country erode from the inside. It is a price our Republic cannot stand. 

and yes, I SIGNED this post!

     Everyone has the right to their opinion.

But like our Founding Fathers, they have the responsibility to stand up for them by signing their name to them, rather than hiding behind the safe anonymity of the Interwebs.

And no, I'm not going to roll out their novel of a domain name. (Our late CEO Fred Weinberg would always buy those long web domains like dontcaliforniaournevada or other similar page names taking shots at Harry Reid and Dean Heller. That's why my Classic Radio web page that wasn't available as a dot com I ended up making it a dot stream. Easier to remember. Marketing is part of what information distribution is about. Remembering TheWhitePineCountyCommissionIsABunchOfCrooks dot cam may be cute and accurate, but only accomplishes the purpose of being a vanity project. No one will remember it, much less visit it.

Now, to the meat of the story.

All my web pages - personal - station - podcast/radio show - all identify ME as the author. Like the authors of the Constitution, I sign my name to them. Every day on the radio I sign my name to what I say. (And don't think I'm taking up for the commission. Why do you think the White Pine County Commission Theme Song is Fleetwood Mac's Little Lies?) To me and others, anonymous opinions hold little weight. When you sign your name to them, it matters. I've taken the heat, our stations have taken the heat (why do you think that Bath Lumber and FNB Ely refuse to advertise?) and I take something that YOU demand of Government. Ethical Accountability. It's something people USED to be taught in school and too many people are NOT taught today, but hide behind the anonymity of the Internet - or the Interwebs...

I'm Wyatt Cox, and I approve this message...

What would you put up with?

 The Government restricts you to 5 gallons of gas per week.

The Government limits what food you can buy.

The Government won’t allow you to buy a new car or new tires.

Many items you can’t get without a Government permit.

 

Sound like a socialist society? Nope.

 

Screw DirecTV! Vote with your wallet and cut the cord!

 

OK, I’ve been listen to all the hosts talking about DEMANDING that DirecTV put Newsmax back into their lineup. I understand the demand. Most of these hosts have Newsmax as sponsors. But it amazes me that so many free-market Conservatives are making this sort of demand. It’s better handled by voting with your feet.

 

And people are doing just that. Variety magazine reports DirecTV lost about 400,000 subscribers in the third quarter of 2022, to stand at an estimated 13.5 million customers, per Leichtman Research Group. At the end of the third quarter of 2015, five weeks after AT&T purchased DirecTV, the company had had 25.47 million subscribers — 19.57 million from DirecTV and 5.9 million from U-verse. They’re losing paying subscribers, and they will continue to lose subscribers.

 

Why? People are cutting the cable and installing over-the-air TV antennas and streaming devices. Which is exactly what I did a year ago when DirecTV pulled the plug on One America Network. And in the process saved almost $200 a month.

 

The first thing I did is get a Roku device. If you have a TV set built in the last ten years it most likely has an HDMI port. Plug the Roku into the port and follow the instructions to connect it to your WiFi network. Then add channels to your hearts content, including Newsmax.

 

But there are tons of FREE Entertainment choices, including the Roku Channel, already installed. You can also get free local news channels from NewsOn, Fox5 Vegas, ABC 13 Las Vegas, and Fox 13 Slat Lake City. Also free movies from Xumo, Stirr, Amazon’s Freevee, and Tubi, and loads of free live streaming channels from Pluto TV. Apart from having YouTube on my big screen TV, my favorite is the Stream on a Budget Showcase channel, a curated collection of video and audio content, including the ABN Old Time Radio channel.

 

Want your familiar cable channels. They’re available through Sling TV. Starting at $40 a month for basic packages. FX, Fox Sports, NFL Network, College Sports, TBS, TNT, USA, Syfy, and a whole lot more.

 

Yes, other paid streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Peacock, Hulu, Amazon, all are available through Roku.

 

Roku devices start at under $30 and run up to $100 for the premium unit with a soundbar to give you much better sound than your TV will in most cases. Available through Roku’s website or at Walmart.

 

And if you want to replace your television while you’re at it, Walmart has a variety of televisions with Roku built in from ONN, Hisense, and Philips. At this writing, the ONN 32 inch Roku TV is under $100.

 

Screw DirecTV. Cut the cable, install an antenna for local channels, and connect to Roku for all the channels you can eat.Or watch.