Howard Monroe And The Morning Show

The King of Cartoonland is coming on the show later this week.

Steve Minard from Wild Escapes sent me an e-mail offering to come on the air and answer the questions I (and many of you) have been raising. He'll be at Broadcast House on Friday at 9. Minard says, by the way, that the "Crystal Mountain West Virginia" site that I wondered about in an earlier post is actually the Ohio County development.

One of our on-line listeners (Matt from North Carolina) sent me an e-mail that raises some more good questions.

How can a company that has no actual income but 3 different amusement park proposals in the pipeline afford to build, transport, and store the mulitude of rides Minard says he has already completed?

Why would the developer of a multi-million dollar amusement (*actually 3*) have such a shabby web site(s) as the ones I've linked down below?

Why would such a developer be using the sites to sell toys on-line.

I'm eagerly awaiting being proven wrong. Really. I hope on Friday that Mr. Minard brings me some real honest-to-gosh photos of those rides, gives me some concrete explanation of the various parks being planned, details how and where his money is coming from.

And yet again--no pictures, no documentation.

Wheeling Sunday News Register front pages another story about the delays in getting an amusement park built at the Highlands.

County administrator Greg Stewart continues to pin the problems on the Army Corps of Engineers, but the real heart of the issue is whether this park will EVER get done.

Steve Minard, the guy who claims he's building it, says he has a bunch of rides already built and ready to go. They're in storage at some mysterious locations around the country where he claims to have other parks. But I can't find anything about any other parks---except failed plans. In the NR story, Minard says he'd like to show some pictures of the rides but he's afraid some competitors might steal the ideas. Oh, COME ON, Steve, do you know how lame that sounds?

As far as I know, no one has ever seen anything concrete about Wild Escapes. On the day the park was announced we were shown cartoon drawings. A few days later we discovered those drawings are the same ones shopped around to other potential site. In fact there is--apparently--another Wild Escape planned in West Virginia. This website is for something called Crystal Mountain West Virginia.

Folks who follow the amusement park industry have been wondering since Day One--as I have--if this will ever really happen. Here's just one blog example of the questions.

What do the commssioners really know about this park? Original timetable had it open almost a year ago. Everyone with common sense knew that was ridiculous, but it kept getting repeated. Have the commisioners talked with leaders in these other towns that Minard says he has parks in? Have they seen picures of these "stored" rides? Do they have some kind of firm guarentee that Minard and his company have the $200 million the project is pegged at?

It continues to sound shady to me.

An enjoyable couple of days in DC to talk about health care. Hope you had a chance to listen. There was a lot of good info passed along. I had hoped to have podcasts of all the interviews posted here on the site, but my nifty new computer which I bought just for this broadcast didn't work quite the way I had planned (OK, it worked fine...I just screwed up working it). Here's a quick list of some guests and their websites which you may want to check out when you have time.

Bernie Horn is with the Center for Policy Alteratives and talked about the need for progressives to do a better job in framing their message. This is an issue I have preached on for years. I did training for the WV Democratic Party and the national DNC on the use of talkradio as part of my concerns. The right wing knows how to "say it cleanly" and send it forth.

We had several guests who talked about a racial and ethnic inequality in health care. Frankly this one confused me at first--why would race or ethnicity lead to health care inequality. But several guests put it in perspective. People like Rea Paneres from the sponsoring group FamiliesUSA, Brain Smedley from the Opportunity Agenda. Take some time to skim through some of their excellent material on their web sites.

Lots of progressive policy opeatives were on our show like Aranthan Jones from the Congressional Majority Whip's office, Andrea Schlessinger from the Drum Major Institute, Susie Turnbull of the DNC, and Roger Hickey from the Campaign for America's Future (by the way they are sponsoring the Take Back America conference in DC in March and we'll be there to broadcast).

Kally Stahlman is the mother of twins with disabilities. She gave us a personal look into the crushing cost of health care for families with disabilities. She works with FamilyVoices Colorado.

Among the politicos we chatted with: former Senator Tom Daschle, Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, Ohio's Stephanie Tubbs-Jones,.

Johnny Carson will always be the King of Late Night TV.

So it's hard for me to realize that not only is the Carson area long gone, his replacement's era is coming to a close! In less than 2 years Jay Leno passes the Tonight show baton to Conan O'Brien.

I suppose it's just a function of getting older. When Carson was on, there was something special about late night.It was a party you didn't want to miss. His monologue helped define the day's news. His guests were always something special. The laughter didn't seem so controved.

Letterman, Lenon, Conan or Kimmel, no one has that kind of magic any more.

11:30 is just another time slot now.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Doctors and detectives. Sure.

Actors and airports. OK.

Then came car salesmen, cake bakers, and now.....now A & E has made a reality TV show about Meter Maids!

A look into the "real life" of interesting occupations can be entertaining. Well-produced shows about a bustling airport or even a hustling real estate developer can be fun. But come on.....PARKING WARS.??????

Sheesh!

(If you've seen the show and disagree, post a comment below).

OK. Let's update the latest on Wheeling city elections.

Andy McKenzie has officially filed to run for Mayor. The anticipated front-runner will face opposition from Tony Domenic who has run for the job before. There may be some other filings.

Councilman Brent Bush had told me personally--and on the air--that he wasn't sure whether he would run for re-election or not. But Friday he officially said he would make another run. I have heard several other names mentioned in the 4th Ward, but I think most of those were eying a run IF Bush decided to sit it out.

We've already talked about Mike Nau  not running for reelection. Rev. Mark Seitz has filed for the seat. Barry Crow faces a challenge from Gene Fahey. 3 in the hunt for the 2nd Ward seat: incumbent Vern Seals along with downtown residents Charles Ballouz and Irene Cross. I hear talk someone might run against Herk Henry in South Wheeling, but I have heard no names being seriously considered as a challenger in Warwood against Gloria Delbrugge, lLots of filing time left.

Interesting filing in the Ohio County school board race where popular long-time b-ball coach Sam Andy (now retired) has filed to run.

And I told you a week ago, I think Chris Wakim will make a run for th State Senate seat being vacated by Andy McKenzie--rather than repeat his failed run for Congress two years ago. He has told his GOP colleagues in Ohio County that he will be running in this election but hasn't officially said for what.

One of those special institutions of our Ohio Valley may be about to vanish.

Mount DeChantal Academy has been struggling for years and today officially announced they will shutter the doors this Spring.

The  all-girl's school has been around longer than the State itself.

Some of the parents at the Mount say they will try to come up with a way to keep the school open. I wish them well and hope they succeed, but I suspect school official have spent a lot of time and thought looking at all options and decided the only choice was to close.

Wheeling Councilman Brent Bush called in today to talk about the Highlands bus runs. He was quoted in the paper as saying he was "disappointed" in the trial service but after we talked a bit, I think he just wants to see some more creative thinking into the hows and whys of the bus run. We also talked about the need for better coordination among local organizations and more "out of the box" thinking in government and quasi-government agencies. Bush hasn't committed to running for reelection yet and I wasn't able to get him to give me a firm answer about the issue.

Moundsville Council failed the citizens of their town last night. They approved a zone change that will turn an acre of residential property into a commercial area. But none of the city leaders know what the project is. It is LUDICROUS to assume that any development is good. This projct may be the biggest deal to come to the Mound Town in a decade. Or it could be a porno shop. City leaders have an obligation to do "due dilligence" in knowing what they're voting for. And these folks failed. With the exception of Mayor Wayne Lemasters who voted "no" until he knows more about the plan. Good on ya, Mr. Mayor.

I'm not a big fan of Rosie O'Donnel, but a post on her blog this week makes sense. She suggests that Britney Spears' problems come from not having a real childhood. I think she's right. It has--for years--been one of my greatest concerns: we don't let our kids be kids. Instead of letting play in the yard, we ship them to soccer camp. Rather than let them read comics on the porch, we send them to classes. And of course for celebrities it's worse.

Can Jamoree USA make a comeback?

Honestly,I have my doubts.

I congratulate Denny Magruder at the Wheeling Civic Center and local attorney Jef McCamick for their plans to bring the Jamboree back to Wheeling--this time at Wesbanco Arena. I have such fond memories on the great-old-days when major country stars came to town and busses lined the streets with out-of-town tourists. I still listen each weekend to the classic replays of Jamboree on WWVA.

But the entertainment world has changed. People in the far Northeast and Canada no longer have to travel to Wheeling for their fix of favorite country stars. Regional entertainment venues abound around the country--and country music stars play them often. The bright star of country radio that was WWVA in its heyday has dimmed to a cookie cutter conservative talk station---the same kind heard in every city in America. Wesbanco Arena has trouble attracting big-name stars of any variety--because of its size, our location, and the changing entertainment marketplace. And the ability of locals to pay big bucks for name stars can only stretch so far.

I have not seen the plans for this new group--and they have some good people working on their board--so I can only offer an UN-informed opinion right now. I wish them well and will help in any way I can.

But I fear it's another example of trying to recreat the PAST when we should be looking to creating a NEW VISION for the future.

Wheeling Police Chief Kevin Gessler on our weekly TV show on Comcast Channel 14 this weekend. Wheeling newspaper editor John McCabe and I dug a little deeper into the 2-man per cruiser controversy. Among other things, Gessler said he doesn't think the FOP is truly representative of the rank-and-file cops. One City Councilman --up for reelection this Spring--told me he wishes this whole cop-cruiser issue wasn't on the front burner right now. He thinks it muddles up the election. Don't forget to vote in the on-line poll to the right about this issue--and leave a comment right below here.