LIFE LASERS FALL TO EXPLORERS IN WORLD TEAMTENNIS CONFERENCE FINALS / 1D

NEWS-LEADER
SPRINGFIELD

NEWS-LEADER.COM • OZARKSMOBILE.COM SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI • SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2010 • 75¢

Town outraged over officials’ salaries

NATHAN PAPES / NEWS-LEADER
Diana and Terry Bushman have
kept journals of their ancestry
since the early 1980s, but have
started using blogs and books
from Shutterfly.com to record By John Rogers to boot them out of office.
their family history. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Their mayor and three of their four council
BELL, Calif. — Residents in this modest blue- members, people they see every day at the gro-
Technology helps genealogy collar Los Angeles suburb where one in six lives
in poverty were angry: Their city manager was
cery store or church, approved the contracts,
and put an obscure measure on the ballot that
Like many Mormon families, Terry and getting paid more than President Barack Obama allowedcouncilmemberstopaythemselvesany
Diane Bushman have books, journals and the police chief more than the commander amount of money.
and family trees tracing their families of the nearly 13,000-member LAPD. And they did: collecting between $90,000 and
back to the original pioneers. They demanded and got the manager, the $100,000 a year as part-time officials.
But, taking a page from modern tech- chief and another high-salaried official to resign. “This is America and everything should be
nology, the Bushmans are using social CHRIS PIZZELLO / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS They looked for the culprits and found them transparent,” plumber and longtime Bell resi-
networking and other tools to make Bell, Calif., residents Hussein Saleh (left) and in the very people they entrusted to lead their
their history accessible to future gen- Eddie Delgado protest at a city council meeting. city of 40,000 people. Now, they’re campaigning See Salaries, Page 4A
erations. Life, 1C

YOUR COMMUNITY
Final farewell for Riverside Inn
Water Patrol warns summer
swimmers of aquatic dangers
Ozark residents gathered to say
goodbye to the Riverside Inn Friday as
demolition crews began razing the his-
toric property. Ozarks, 1B

Alleged gang member arrested

A 17-year-old boy and self-professed
gang member has been charged in a se-
ries of Beverly Hills break-ins. Paul Fos-
ter Cruz Morales was charged with un-
lawful use of a weapon and felony steal-
ing of a firearm Friday. Ozarks, 1B

Couple charged in cat cruelty

A Springfield couple has been
charged with animal abuse a year after
authorities say they found around 56
abused cats on their property on Nor-
ton Road. Ozarks, 1B

NATION / WORLD
Online rivalry leads to death
A Facebook feud between two women
who claimed to love the same prison in-
mate led to a high-speed chase and a
crash that critically injured one of the
rivals, killed her friend and left the sec-
ond rival facing murder charges. 3A

Engineers leaving spill region

Engineers prepared to abandon their
vigil over BP’s broken oil well Friday as
ships and rig workers evacuated the
Gulf of Mexico ahead of Tropical De-
pression Bonnie. 2A

MARKET Piotr Lesnicki and his son Patryk, 4, of Chicago, enjoy an afternoon of swimming at Moonshine Beach Park on Table Rock Lake in Branson
JEROME T. NAKAGAWA / NEWS-LEADER

on Friday. With water-related fatalities soaring this year, authorities are stressing safety practices.
Ford back on road to success
Four years ago, Ford mortgaged every- State officials attribute rise in waterway deaths to weather, ignorance.
thing down to the blue oval logo to save
itself. Now, even as Americans remain By Kathryn Wall • Photographer Dean Curtis reflects on dangers that occur when foolish people meet mighty waterways. 1B
[email protected]
skittish about the economy, it’s reaping
big rewards and stealing business from By this time last year, 16 people
had drowned in Missouri water-
The law
stumbling rivals. Business, 6A
ways. This year, that number has al- Most of the
Pay czar to let bonuses remain ready reached 30. drownings the
“We’re definitely well above pace Water Patrol en-
The Obama administration’s pay czar on just drownings,” Sgt. Jerry Calla- counters would
Kenneth Feinberg will not try to recoup han of the Missouri Water Patrol have been pre-
$1.6 billion in compensation given to said. vented by a life
top executives at bailed-out banks. He cautioned that the numbers jacket, Sgt. Jerry
Business, 6A tend to fluctuate, citing 37 drown- Callahan of the
ings by this time in 2008. Regard- patrol said.
less, the numbers are always too Children under 7
ONLINE NOW high. must wear a life
He said heat and flooding could be jacket at all times
contributing to more deaths this while on board a
Peek inside local noteworthy year. watercraft.
homes with online galleries “People are around the water
more, for longer hours (when it’s
“I think, in most
cases, parents go
Take a look inside great lo- warm),” he said, leading to more op- far beyond the
NLL cal homes by checking out
our “Home of the Week” gal-
portunities for drownings.
Rainy weather also brings people
age of 7, and we
encourage them
ONLINE
NE
leries. Check out the latest closer to Missouri’s waterways. Peo- to,” Callahan said.
home at OzarksSpaces.com ple trying to drive through water are There has to be
counted among the drowning JEROME T. NAKAGAWA / NEWS-LEADER a life jacket on
Get updates through Twitter deaths. Dariusz Czyszczon of Fort Collins, Colo., cradles his daughter, Izabela, 4, as they board a water-
swim at Moonshine Beach Park on Table Rock Lake on Friday. Paulina Lesnicki, 2, craft for every
More than 1,300 Ozarkers are fol- See Water, Page 8A of Chicago (top center), also enjoys an afternoon in the water. person on board.
lowing the News-Leader on Twitter.
For news updates throughout the

Wardell asserts loyalty, life

day, go to www.twitter.com/Spring-
fieldNL 7th District, U.S. House
AUG. 3 PRIMARY of Representatives
Index
Auctions 5C
A GANNETT NEWSPAPER
VOL. 120, NO. 205 ©2010, NEWS-LEADER

Horoscope 2C
7TH DISTRICT experience make difference Missouri
Automotive 1F Lottery 1B
By Cory de Vera you work with. If you
Business
Classified
6A
5C
Merchandise
Nation/World
5C
2A Candidates [email protected] don’t, I’m sorry, how
Comics 3C Opinion 5B Eight Republicans and two Republican candidate for Congress Christian is that?”
Crossword 2C Real Estate
Dear Abby 2C For Sale 6C Democrats are vying to be- Michael Wardell made the news in Charges against
Deaths 3B, 4B Rentals 6C come their party’s candidate March, but it wasn’t for his politics. Williams were eventually
Employment 5C Sports 1D for the 7th District U.S. David Williams, a young man who dropped. Springfield
Faith 1C Stocks 6A
Garage sales 6C Television 6D House seat, the seat Rep. worked at Wardell’s barbecue stand, “When I see an injus-
Heloise 2C Weather 6B Roy Blunt is leaving. had escaped a home fire that took the Wardell tice, I speak up. ... I don’t
Find out about each one: lives of his girlfriend’s three children. like to see someone rail- Past profiles: Read past candi-
Weather Jeff Wisdom: Saturday Williams stood accused of intention- roaded by the system.” date profiles and Q&As with this
Gary Nodler: Monday ally setting the fire. It’s that kind of leadership Wardell story online at News-Leader.com
94° day,
Partly sunny to-
with the Mike Moon: Tuesday While the blogosphere condemned wants to take to Washington.
Darrell Moore: Wednesday Williams, Wardell raised money for Wardell — who speaks Japanese and Online: Health care Q&A
74° of
slight possibility
a thunder- Jack Goodman: Thursday the children’s funerals, and spoke out French — was living in Japan, operat- Find each of the candidates’
storm. 6B Billy Long: Friday for the character of the man who ing a translation business, when he views at News-Leader.com
Precipitation: 10% Michael Wardell: Today worked for him. was called back to the U.S. in 2004 to
Steve Hunter: Monday “I looked at who I knew David was. help his mother, who was fighting an Inside: 7th District notes
Scott Eckersley: Tuesday ... There was no way he could do it,” An update on what some of the
Tim Davis: Wednesday said Wardell. “You stick up for people See Wardell, Page 4A candidates have been up to. 4A