Things could be worse. You live in Wheaterville, but you could live 70 miles down the road, in Cheyenne, the Divorce Capital of the USA! So much for Family Values!

This is Cheyenne with NO banners (that we know of) promoting that Gay Marriage Agenda which the leadership of Wheatland sees around every corner. Can you imagine how rampant d-i-v-o-r-c-e would be if those Cheyenne folks were assaulted every day with 6 feet by 3 feet “No Place For Hate” banners with a Gay and Lesbian Fund of Colorado logo right there at the bottom of it, big as an, um, golf ball? It strikes fear in the heart of a cowboy!

Yes, Cheyenne, WY has more divorces per capita than any other place in the entire country. Reno, you know, Reno, NV, where you can get a divorce at a corner kiosk, and have the papers served on your soon-to-be unsignificant other for less than a Liberal Vanilla Latte? Well, Reno came in second. Cheyenne first,  Reno second.

Where to go for the best chance at a lasting marriage? San Jose, CA. Shocking. San Jose is not only in California, it’s also really, really close to San Francisco. Maybe San Francisco’s borders are tight and none of that Gay Agenda can leak out? Who knows.

So Wheatland, it could be worse. Your town bans an anti-bullying program because (EGADS!) it was free to you because the Anti-Defamation League funded it, and included partial sponsorship and that scary  Colorado Gay and Lesbian Fund logo. Take heart Wheatland. At least you have a higher percentage of intact marriages per capita than your neighbor Cheyenne. 

Cheyenne, you're the capital of the Equality State. Stay firm in your stance against Marriage Equality! Heavens to Betsy, if all those cowboys could suddenly go climb Brokeback Mountain, can anyone estimate what the divorce rate would be? 

Read the Liberal Media Coverage Here.

Ah, the Ides of March. Dig into your high school freshman memories. In 44 BC Julius Caesar was stabbed on the steps of the Roman Senate. Not a good day for Caesar.

Will the Ides of March 2010 be a good day for the Wheatland School Board? Will they "succeed" at confirming that yes indeed, Wheatland Is A Place For Hate? Or will concerned Platte County citizens and WHS students show up to try once again to talk sense into their closed little minds? What Would Jesus Do? He'd grab his dad's hammer and put those banners up himself.

Tonight's school board meeting starts at 7pm, at the usual place. The board is keeping its collective fingers crossed that they "won" and that everyone will have forgotten those soundbytes and all the recognition their Hate Games illicited for our fair town. They're hoping with whatever hearts they have that no one will show, no one will ask questions, no one will make them think.

See you at the meeting. The board will have to allow that confounded 30 minutes of public comment (and this time shout foul if Kelly Tyson uses some of it like he did month) but they won't like it any more than they did last time. Dallas Mount may ask that the time be extended, so that all may be heard, but likely no other board member will have the decency to second his motion. Again.
 
The board will have to deal with the "No Advertising in Schools" situation, because that was officially asked for. Seeing how they decide to handle that alone will be worth attending the meeting.

WHS is safe from the No Place For Hate label. No one is thinking of moving to Wheatland or Wyoming for its progressive, or liberal or "Do Unto Others" ethics. No one thinks that Wheatland is even aware of what's going on outside its walls. Nope, Wheatland is "safe" from infiltration by anyone who doesn't Think Like Jack. Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!

Any change for Wheatland will have to come from those of us who already live here. If Wheatland is ever to be more than what it is, it will be because of the people like the ones who showed up, and spoke up last month at the school board meeting, and those of us who will indeed show up again. Please join us. Make them listen to 30 more minutes of what the people of Platte want. Show them that Wheatland is NO Place For Hate.

A school board in Wheatland, Wyoming, made its message loud and clear during a recent meeting: Schools are a place for hate. Or so disciples of modus tollens would insist, now that the administrators administrating Platte Country School District have reaffirmed their decision to prevent the area's temples of education from hoisting banners that read NO PLACE FOR HATE.

The Anti-Defamation League-sponsored posters had already been 86ed by the board once back in January, but hate-hating parents, students, teachers, and members of the community's "we want people to like each other" camp swarmed to the board's meeting earlier this week to try to sway the opinion. The gathering quickly became a place for hate.

The original snag, according to the article, was the inclusion on the banner of a logo for the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado—a deal breaker for naysaying board members. Discouraging hate they're all for. But discouraging hate against a specific group, while also discouraging hate against everyone else not in that group? That might seem like anti-hate preferential treatment. And you know how high school kids get about perceived favoritism.

But not to worry. Board chairman Kelly Tyson swept in with an enlightenment bomb and explained that he simply didn't want to deal with the social issues (what are those?), and that the schools are equipped to handle cases of hate in-house. For example, he cited the district's strict stance against bullying, thereby reassuring the assemblage that, if nothing else, the school is doing what every other school in the entire world already halfheartedly does.

What the board members failed to realize is that the banner would not actually curtail hatred—the preservation of which clearly being important to them. Rather, it would just encourage students to relate to one another as human beings and exalt individual expression as the highest virtue. But since all high school students do—other than text naked pictures of themselves to each other—is indiscriminately hate, the board members wouldn't have anything to worry about. Except maybe the cost to pay union custodians to hang the banners, those collectivized wage-gougers.

—Neil Janowitz

Check out Neil on his blog!

A quick rehash of the PCSD1 school board meeting...you can tune into Channels 5 and 13, and Wyoming Public Radio, or read all about it in the Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie and Platte County papers this week too, because they were all there. There will likely be additional submissions to Wheaterville too, much to the chagrin of some it seems.

But for those of you who can't wait...here's the brass tacks. The meeting was packed. The chairs were all taken and people were lining the walls and back of the room by 6:50. When the meeting started there were over 70 people packed in like sardines. (Note that room capacity was 75, chairs for 40, so people were sitting in the aisles and crammed into the room outside the meeting room as well.)

 Representatives of the Wyoming ACLU, and the ADL were also in attendance. They didn't say much this time, but their support was noticed and much appreciated.

Chairman Tyson read from the Wyoming Open Meeting Law, that yes, there would be a Public Comment portion of the meeting, because by law there had to be..."I've never seen this part take more than five seconds, but it looks like times are different now." Yep...they sure are.

Tyson warned that everyone had to play nice..."no rallys." Everyone played nice.

Teachers, parents, students, and Platte County residents raised their hands, and each and every one of the local citizens who spoke did so eloquently, and movingly in favor of the No Place for Hate banners and programs. One resident spoke as a veteran of both the military and the Platte County school system. Another spoke as the mother of a grade school student, and explained what the NPFH program meant to her child, and how important that was to her. At least seven PCSD1 teachers attended the meeting, in support of the program. Wheatland, you should be proud of your people! And yes, that is a fact!

After seven or so Platte County residents spoke, Bruce DeBoskey of the ADL was called on. He had a speech he was going to read, but instead he just spoke extemporaneously, and observed that "...really, no one could say it more clearly than you've heard tonight from the parents, and teachers and the students here tonite."

The four WHS students who spoke did their school and their community proud. Two of them had been part of the group who worked on the NPFH program, and all of them shared what a positive impact it had had on the school and on the students.

A petition requesting the school board to define its policy on advertising in the schools was presented and will be on next month's agenda. Since the NPFH Banner was removed ostensibly because it contained "advertising" some residents would like to have the policy for what constitutes "advertising" examined.  " The question of whether to permit advertising in schools operated by Platte County School District #1 is an important one, and the undersigned petitioners believe that it would be desirable for the District to have a definite, consistent policy governing this issue, and any similar issues that might present themselves in the future." 
 At the end of the obligatory 30 minute Public Comment section of the meeting, board member Dallas Mount made a motion that the Public Comment time be extended, so that any and every member of the district who wanted to speak would be allowed to do so.

No board member seconded his motion. That's worth repeating: No board member seconded his motion. Chairman Tyson announced that the motion to allow more discussion by the public had died due to "no second".  Maybe that's where the story starts.

The next board meeting will be March 15, at 7pm. If you didn't get to say what you wanted to at this meeting, or if you aren't sure you were heard this time around, mark your calendars now and be at that next meeting. Times ARE different now...maybe a few more packed school board meetings will get that point across.

Sitting in on a typical Platte County School Board meeting is about as exciting as watching a cat sleep. This Monday  however, that cat will be a lion, and it won't be napping.

The February 15 board of trustees meeting will be the first since January 18, when the board voted 4-3 to remove the "No Place for Hate" banners because the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) program is partially sponsored by the Colorado Gay and Lesbian Fund (CGLF). The banners, which had been up at Wheatland High School (WHS) since fall, include the CGLF logo along with those of the other sponsors.

Shortly after the Jan. meeting, the banners were taken down, the ADL reluctantly removed WHS from the list of 25 regional schools who had earned the honor of being "No Place for Hate", and Wheatland was in the spotlight. The four board members who voted to remove the banners were interviewed by local and state newspapers, and students responded by putting NPFH posters on their lockers, and forming a Facebook page to rally support to get the banners put back up. The Platte County Record Times devoted extra space to print the many letters from WHS alumni, parents and residents who disapproved of the board's decision, as well as a handful from those who agreed with the removal of the banners. Wheatland's "Banning the Banner" became news all around Wyoming, and then the nation.

Despite what appears to be keen interest on both sides of the banner issue, and what could be a record turnout Monday, the February board meeting will be held in its regular venue, the meeting room at the Administration Office, at 1350 Oak St. As of this writing, the only time allotted to any discussion of the NPFH banners will be during the ten minute "Public Comment" period. (This is usually at the beginning of the meeting, so public, you have been warned; don't be late.)
 
ADL representative Bruce DeBoskey has formally requested time at the meeting to present facts about the NPFH program, and to answer any questions and address misconceptions the board or the public may have. DeBoskey will be at Monday's meeting, although as of this writing his Feb. 3 request to be included on this month's agenda still has not been granted.

PCSD1 Superintendent Stuart Nelson has also declined individual requests from Platte County residents to be included on the agenda regarding the banner. As of this writing, there is no Agenda available to the public on the district's website. 
 
According to Jason Marsden, of the Matthew Shepard Foundation in Denver, individual board members had not returned calls from the ADL. However, Chuck Ruwart, who voted with Dallas Mount and Jay Haux to keep the NPFH banners up, has not received a phone call from the ADL, or had any other communication from them besides a form given to each board member shortly after January's vote.

Two weeks after the board's decision, Superintendent Nelson told The Wyoming Tribune Eagle that the "...only negative comments [he has heard about the board's decision] had come from out-of-towners, special interest groups, and former residents" and that “…every local parent he'd spoken with supported the board's decision.”  

Another two weeks have gone by and if that was true then, it's not any more.

Part of Monday's meeting will likely include the presentation of a petition designed to keep the NPFH banner issue alive by requesting a definition of policies currently in place in local schools, and signed by local residents.

Wyo. Stat. 21-3-110(a)(viii) requires the School Board to "Consider every petition presented to the board and subscribed by at least five (5) citizens of the school district and take some action on such petition within thirty (30) days after it is received; provided, that no action shall be required if the precise question presented by the petition has been considered and acted upon by the board of trustees at any meeting held within the current fiscal year." In effect, any five people, who live in the district, can force the board to include an item on their agenda, and to vote on it, as long as the school board has not voted on the exact same thing within the same fiscal year.

Stepping up onto soapbox:  If this issue is important to you, go to the meeting. Whichever side you're on, be respectful of those who disagree with you. Listen. Ask questions. Don't jump to conclusions. Wheatland will learn something from this, and everyone has something to contribute to that.

The Mission statement of PCSD1 is available on their website, and it's exactly what I'd like to hold them to. It's worth it for all to take the time to read (or re-read) it, so here it is: 

Our Mission

The District is committed to the process of continuous school improvement.

The board, administration, and the staff will model a positive, professional working relationship by:

•Operating openly and honestly.

•Establishing two-way communication and problem solving with our patrons.

•Following a chain of command when solving problems.

•We will jointly celebrate our successes and give credit to those responsible for our successes.

 

Our vision is to prepare children to become citizens for a 21st Century workplace.

If you're attending Monday's meeting, or if you're one of the people who've publically declared your support for the banner and the NPFH program, in letters to the editor or out on the streets of Wheatland, constructively holding the district accountable to the vision declared in their mission statement would be an excellent place to start.

This is your School Board:  Chairman Kelly Tyson, Clara Powers, Dallas Mount, Chuck Ruwart, Joe Fabian, Lee Dunham, Jay Houx.

This is your School Board Under Pressure: THE SCHOOL BOARD IS JUST NOT RESPONDING TO THE ADL'S REQUEST TO BE PUT ON THE AGENDA FOR MONDAY'S MEETING. JUST NOT RESPONDING. [Cue ears-in-fingers "blah blah blah blah I can't hear you blah blah blah blah.]

IN ADDITION, NOT A SINGLE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER HAS THE SPINE OR THE SPIRIT TO ANSWER REPEATED CALLS TO EACH OF THEM, FROM BRUCE DEBOSKEY, WHO IS THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE ADL, AND IN CHARGE OF THE "NO PLACE FOR HATE" PROGRAM. NOT THE FOUR WHO OFFERED THEIR UNFORGETTABLE SOUND BYTES LAST TIME AROUND NOR THE THREE WHO VOTED TO KEEP THE BANNERS UP.

Yelling? You bet your sweet behind I am. And if in fact I am wrong, and any board member HAS answered Mr. DeBoskey's repeated attempts to speak with them, and to get on the agenda, please speak up. Doesn't matter which "side" you're on, at least have the decency to be accountable for what you believe in.

Wheatland, Meet Your School Board. Instead of standing up for either side, they're sitting down. NOT RESPONDING! If I close my eyes you can't see me, ostrich-head-in-sand mentality. 

IN ADDITION, THE NO PLACE FOR HATE BANNER ISSUE IS NOT EVEN ON THE AGENDA FOR MONDAY'S MEETING!!! IT HAS BEEN REQUESTED AND THE BOARD HAS DECIDED IN ITS INFINITE WHATEVER THAT THEY WILL NOT INCLUDE IT ON THE AGENDA! That means that any and all discussion of this topic will have to fit into the TEN MINUTE discussion period known as Public Comment.

Wheatland, review what your School Board has taught by its example. First, Wheatland High School, through its School Board, has decided that WHS does not want to be "No  Place for Hate". Whatever the reason.

Second kids, when confrontation rears its head, DUCK. Ignore. Don't Respond. Don't allow any opportuntiy for discussion or dialogue. Don't return phone calls. 

Despicable. Cowardly. NOT that oft glorified and seldom exemplified "Cowboy Way." 

Wheatland, you can either take this, or you can fight this. If you don't stand up now, then stay seated and shut up when the school board or any other Big Government Decider makes a decision for you. To say nothing, and to do nothing at this point is its own statement, and it ain't pretty.

Please sign the online petition by clicking here!

Dear Superintendent Nelson and Board of Trustees:

We were shocked and dismayed to read about the school board’s decision against the “No Place for Hate” banners. As graduates of Wheatland High School, we have always been proud of the excellent education we received. However, after this short-sighted decision by the school board, we have serious doubts about the elected leadership of PCSD #1.

Let us say that Wheatland is full of decent, fair-minded people. They need to stand up to intolerance, because nothing positive will come about until they do. This is not about liberal vs. conservative or Republican vs. Democrat. This is a fair vs. unfair and right vs. wrong issue.

The four members of the school board who voted against the banners are not promoting the district’s vision of “Empowerment through learning so students can be successful now and in the future.” Nor are they “Preparing children for the 21^st Century”, as noted on the district’s website. In fact, they are actively working against and discouraging both.

What these Trustees appear to be saying is that the only students they wish to empower and be successful are those who fit their idea of ‘normal.’ It is extremely disappointing to hear that Mr. Lee Dunham was a proponent of this terrible decision, given his lifelong dedication to education.
Further, just like any other district, PCSD #1 has policies against discrimination of any kind, hate, and bullying, as well as others that mandate tolerance of differences, good character, and a safe learning environment. With this decision, the school board just sent a message that they are going to violate their own policies, plus expect faculty and staff to promote this violation.

It wasn’t long ago that Matthew Shepard’s murder thrust the good people of Wyoming into negative limelight. While “No Place for Hate” is an inclusive program that teaches tolerance of all differences—physical, mental, racial, religious (the list goes on), the main reason given for not allowing the banners singled out sexual differences, which unfortunately brought negative publicity yet again.

If they had an issue with a sponsor, why couldn’t they have reached a compromise such as trimming that part of the poster (though it is proper to name all program sponsors, no matter who they are) or making posters without sponsor names? Those might not have been options, but surely there was a way to make this work and hold on to a program that not only helped raise awareness and tolerance of others, but appears to have been supported by the students themselves.
Instead, they chose to broadcast ignorance and narrow-mindedness and ensure that this inclusive, multi-faceted program could not continue. These Trustees should reverse their decision, then attend board training on diversity and make a formal apology, or else resign their seats. One shudders to think of the public relations nightmare these elected officials have created. 

Schools and parents owe it to children to give them the tools to be successful adults—which includes working and playing among a diverse group of people with all types of differences. Those who supported the “No Place for Hate” effort are doing just that. Others are doing a tremendous disservice to these kids and are in essence telling them it’s OK to treat others who don’t look, think, or act like them as second-class citizens.

Our question to them is, “Do you realize you likely have at least one of these ‘second-class citizens’ in your own family?”

Melody (Wilhelm) Brooks, Class of 1986
Leven Moore, Class of 1983
Tina (Bowman) Gnauden, Class of 1984
Katrina Crossland, Class of 2005
Heidi Wilhelm, Class of 1982
Cheryl Lynn (O'Connell) Herman, Class of 1986
Larry D. Herman, Class of 1986
Leslie (Cox) Crossland, Class of 1985
Chuck Cox, Class of 1988
Thahn Nygen, Class of 2007
Linnea Jonnsson, Class of 2008
Tristiny Clausen, Class of 2009
Briana Sheeley, Class of 2005
Tammie (Roberts) Kennedy, Class of 1988
Emma (Bray) Myers, Class of 1986
Stacy (Prewitt) Fernandes, Class of 1986
Carri Weber, Class of 1985
Terri (Weber) Lenz, Class of 1985
James Weber, Class of 1988
Lynn (Hazaleus) Kober, Class of 1989
Will Nolan, Class of 1984
Steven R. Freund [former student], Class of 2006
Scott C. Freund [former student], Class of 2006
Sean Patrick Freund [former resident], Class of 2007
Trevor D. Herman [former resident], Class of 2008
Jeremy Bredeson, Class of 1991
Rebecca (Hattan) Motley, Class of 1988
Rebecca (Lee) Maxwell, Class of 1987
Terri (Williams) Yeadon, Class of 1984 - left Wheatland due to unfair treatment of her mixed-race child
Wade Yeadon, Class of 1981
Michelle (Sorensen) George, Class of 1984
Kelly (Beidleman) Storebo, Class of 1989
Andrew Morrell, Class of 1989
Marlo (Laatsch) Miller, Class of 1987
Cory (Fluharty) Meyer, Cass of 1994
Joe Grotts, Class of 1990
Janelle (Stauffer)Wade, Class of 1990 
Teresa Minear, Class of 1991 and parent of current WHS junior
Britnee Bayne, Class of 1984
Paula (Turner) Flynn, Class of 1985
Deborah (Maston) Coffey, Class of 1990
Brenda (Helgelien) Herring, Class of 1987
Andrea (Stacy) Kirk, Class of 1983
Nancy (Portwood) Taylor, Class of 1989
Anthony Morelli, Class of 1984
Beth (Shepard) Hendon, Class of 1987
Jill (Archbold) Surrell, Class of 1994
Wendi Scholten, Class of 1996
Dona (Smith) Winger, Class of 1994
Craig Kittelson, taught in Wheatland from 1970-91 and had two kids graduate from WHS
Erin Grady, Class of 1997
Shane Durland, Class of 1986
Marne Durland
Jenny (Elliott) Wells, Class of 1995
Janice (Greer) Smith, Class of 1992
Will Smith, Class of 1991
Lee Morrison, Class of 1984
Dani Thompson, Class of 1995
Kristen Wagner, Class of 1983
Malina King, Class of 1983
Patrick Moore, Class of 1986
Lacey (Ward) Lynch, Class of 1994
Bill Smith, Class of 1994
Tami (Cordonier) Mascarenas, Class of 1984
Ronda (Blake) Stumbough, Cheyenne East High Class of 1981, parent of current student
Justin Herdt, Class of 1998
Thelma (Lucero) Kopejtka, Class of 1991
Robin (Lucas) Kuss, Class of 1982
Kelly (Reynolds) LaFayette, former resident with five children who attended Wheatland schools; one graduated from Wheatland
Felicia Messimer, Class of 1997
Mike Wilhelm, Class of 1984
Gabe Fernandez, Class of 1985
Gina (Zeppetella) Thorne, Class of 1985
Richie Thorne, Class of 1985
Wesley Wimber, Class of 1984
Deborah (Spaid) Anderson, Class of 1989
Daniel E. Williams, Class of 1987
Tammy (Koster) Wells, Class of 1987 
Curtis Cook, Class of 1998
Jenifer Cook, Class of 2001
Kelly Cook, Grandfather of current student
Jeanette Cook, Grandmother of current student
Gregory Slagle, Class of 1983
Jodi Freeman-Fuentes, Class of 1994

Right?

I mean, we all sort of think that Hubert got his Special Use Permit this time around. Didn't he? Sure he did. How could he not?

If he did, it comes strapped to a lot of conditions, including, you guessed it, a fence. And this time a fence with Conditions. (Ain't nobody in Wheaterville gonna have to say: "Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." Uh-Uh.)
 
Hubert finally gets his Special Use Permit (for at least six months or until there are more complaints) after a Zoning Certificate is approved, and after he builds a fence of bundles or boards, eight feet high, from the NE corner of his place to 50 feet from his house.

Deja vu again, but on a more manageable scale.

Marlin the Planner however, does not like being undermined, and he said so. He's not sure the current screening really screens, although everyone else, including the Planning and Zoning Board, disagrees with his assessment. If that fence does anything, it screens, is the the concensus. But darn it all, Marlin the Planner does not appreciate the "established rules" being bent. He was supposed to win this one.

Platte County resident Chris Gray agreed that Hubert's "bad behavior" shouldn't be "rewarded". Wait, what "bad behavior?" Oh--challenging his right to get the Special Use Permit! Which he got. Which indicates that he should have had a whole hell of a long time ago. Seems like "bad behavior"  like that "fighting for what is right" is something we all oughta see more of.

However, just to make sure that no one thinks anyone except Hubert and the posse were ever in the wrong, one of the conditions of Hubert's Special Use Permit is that everyone agrees that the approval of the Special Use Permit does not in any way "...imply any County override of applicable District Court Orders." So there. Na na na na na. 

Bottom line is that there'll be some more fence building going on before the Saga of Hubert is over, but it looks like everyone is ok with all of it.

Right?

2009 in Wheatland, WY and the surrounds looks like the times they are a' changin'.

WADCO is PCED...New Year, New Name. Wheatland Area Development COrporation (WADCO) is now Platte County Economic Development (PCED). New executive director coming soon, and a new website too...former ed Susan Jenkins had Big Wind Guys in town and they were NOT just talking hot air. 2009 could bring more wind and more economic development to Platte County, and PCED will be a driving force.

For instance, take a photo of the drive on I25 between Wheatland and Chugwater sometime this year. Odds are it's going to look mighty different by the time 2014 rolls around. That's been named The Wind Corridor by wind folks in the know--pretty soon you'll be able to connect the dots between the wind turbines, 'cuz folks, we got wind, lots of it, and the gov'ment gots cash to spend on turning it into energy.

That Big, Wonderful, New nursing home in Wheatland? Sounds like Platte County Economic Development there too. There's a timeline on this and lots of checkpoints--stay tuned and get involved. The good news is that the new nursing home will affect just about everyone at some point. Make it what you want it to be.

Get involved in PCED, get involved in the Chamber of Commerce, support local businesses, stick your nose into local politics, contribute time and ideas to your town and be a part of all the positive that's happening. 

You don't have to "go with the flow" but you should at least jump into the water.

Boulder, CO had their annual "Naked Pumpkin Run" with 300 bare-buttocks (that'd be 150 partici-pants, with two buttocks per) runners. They run thru the streets of that crazy liberal prarie dog hugging elitist enclave every year, wearing just a pumpkin on their head, er, on their noggin to be more specific. And if that doesn't make you just want to spit and poke fun, how 'bout the fact that 12 of those intellectual latte drinkers got CAUGHT and arrested! (Would you DO this if you couldn't avoid being CAUGHT?!?!?)
Anyway, Boulder might just slap their behinds with "sex offender" status, so there!

And sorry folks, but if you don't know who Ace is you're just not paying attention :)

Ace pauses from Real Work to reflect, enlighten and shut the cranky guy up.

The Mitch Cozad story "timed out" as in literally. Ace conferred with the in-house Guru who'll cement all the stories into the right-hand column for anyone who likes to beat dead horses. The Guru is busy doing Real Work Guru jobs right now, but hold onto your poison pen and we'll get it up there for you to fume at. The Mitch story has certainly been interesting and likely will get even more so.

Here's the abridged Wheaterville.com history, for anyone interested. Ace quit the PCRT. (That's a chapter in itself, and is most entertaining over a cuppa coffee or a glass of wine.)

Back before the first rattlesnake of the season, an editorial with a totally erroneous and unresearched LIE appeared in the PCRT. Ace, who has a low tolerance for both bad ethics and shoddy research, whipped up a rebuttal but needed a vehicle to get it out there. Ace correctly predicted that the PCRT would not supply the ride, and when that was confirmed by the nut behind the wheel (a most dangerous malfunction in any vehicle) Wheaterville.com was born.

We'll get the Guru to get that seminal work back up in the right-hand column too, so folks can reminisce.

Folks who figgered out who the heck Ace was pretty darn quickly started contacting Ace with story ideas. Clearly there was a hole in the fabric of journalism that only Wheaterville could fill, so Ace cheerfully began writing stuff.

More calls, more emails, more "hey, I L-O-V-E Wheaterville" praise from both natives and transfers and even more hand-covering-mouth whispered accolades from people who didn't think they should be sporting "Go Wheaterville.com" verbal bumper stickers in the checkout line at Safeway. (You really wouldn't believe who's reading Wheaterville! Or maybe you would...)

Be assured that Ace doesn't take offense to any nasty comments. Life'd be pretty boring if that were the case. Do be assured however, that Ace smiles broadly and often at compliments, so thanks to all-y'all who bother to pat backs and scratch itches. 'Tis much appreciated!

Copy and Paste journalism here? Not a chance in Hades. You don't like the way Ace writes? Go somewherez else. Ace'll try to not lose too much sleep over it.

Fans, be patient, 'k? Wheaterville is at that awkward Toddler stage. Smart and sassy enough that folks expect we know what we're doing, but we're really just learning how to maneuver around this strange new world. And we're growing at an astonishing rate, with lots more ideas than time. But winter is a comin'...those long dark days are great for implementing crazy ideas.

Cranky guy, knock off the out-of-your-posterior plagerism/copyright accusations. You can keep being as cranky as you want to about anything else tho. Keeps us on our toes. We like that.