Forum Flashbacks: Dec. 1-7
FORUM FILE PHOTO
25 YEARS AGO: Magical Merry – Magical Merry (Miraya Burnsides) bestows good wishes onto Natalie Powell at the Nodaway County Historical Society Museum Wednesday afternoon. Magical Merry will be at the museum Saturday to entertain children as part of the society’s holiday events.
5 years ago
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column is by Phil Cobb, former owner and publisher of The Maryville Forum and The Post.
I walked through the front door Monday morning of what is now The Maryville Forum office and like I’ve done every weekday for most of the past 17 years, I mindlessly turned to pick up a copy of that day’s newspaper.
I knew full well that there would be no newspaper there.
After all, I’m the one who made the decision to end publication of a five-day daily newspaper.
The final issue of The Forum in that frequency was distributed on Friday, Dec. 1.
If I have trouble breaking the habit, I know it must be difficult for people who have subscribed to this newspaper for decades — many decades in many cases — to have their daily routine thrown out of whack. …
One thing we can’t do is operate this business at a loss.
People are smart.
Even if they’re mad about the change, deep down they understand this concept and many who have operated businesses of their own can absolutely relate.
So here we are, no looking back.
The official name of the newspaper is now The Maryville Forum. …
While we share the disappointment of losing all that’s good about being daily, we’re excited about the type of product we can offer you in a weekly format.
As you can see, The Forum is bigger, better and more colorful than it has ever been.
It still contains the best reporting, writing, photography, layout and print and paper quality around.
We’ve continued that commitment. …
We still buy our ink by the barrel.
Not as many barrels.
But still a lot more than some.
And in partial thanks to this transition, we’ll be doing so for a long time to come.
It’s like I told a friend who was in my office this week, “Going to a weekly newspaper is not ideal, but just like celebrating birthdays when you get to be my age, it’s better than the alternative.”
15 years ago
When a call about a possible shooting came in around 6:30 p.m., Dec. 3, membrs of the Maryville Department of Public Safety (MDPS) probably weren’t thinking they had a second murder in less than three weeks on their hands.
An argument between two Hispanic male employees at the Mandarin Restaurant led to the death of one, and the flight from law enforcement of another.
Jorge P. Saavedra, 40, pulled out a small caliber handgun while arguing with Jamie Alejandro “Alex” Zamudio Hernandez, 29, and shot him one time in the left shoulder Monday evening, before fleeing the scene. …
Upon their arrival, Keith Wood, director of Maryville Public Safety, said that first responders thought the wound to be almost immediately fatal, but that “he was treated in the extent that he could be on scene, and then transported to St. Francis, where he was then, a short time later, pronounced dead.”
The length of the argument and the reason of the argument is unknown, but there were several employees in the kitchen area who witnessed that evening’s events.
The language barrier that police officials faced with Spanish speaking witnesses was “a stumbling point at first,” Wood said.
Interpreters were called in from Northwest Missouri State University as they helped investigators early on in the investigation.
25 years ago
A local doctor recently visited the (former) Soviet Union to participate in a joint venture between Heart to Heart International and the American Academy of Family Physicians, called “Physicians with Heart.”
According to Dr. Patrick B. Harr, the venture was the fifth humanitarian aid trip to parts of the (former) Soviet Union and supplied the people of the Republic of Georgia with $14 million wholesale in medical supplies including drugs, vitamins and stethoscopes.
Harr said the Republic of Georgia has about 5.5 million people with 250,000 displaced from three wars in the past seven years.
“The need is incredible and the economy is virtually at a standstill,” Harr said.
Despite the poverty and war-torn appearance of the country, the people are protective of the freedom they have gained.
“People value their freedom so greatly they wouldn’t think of going back to their old system,” Harr said. “They are fiercely independent.”
Other evidence of the recent struggles in the Republic were noted when teams were distributing medication to regional hospitals. Harr said one team had to go through five check points to get to a hospital with supplies. …
Another major difference is the lack of doctors’ offices in communities. Rather, there is a large clinic at the hospital and people from neighboring communities must travel there for health care. …
“The system is really broken down,” Harr said. “There is no money to purchase health care and no preventative (care).” …
Along with the distribution of medications, the team introduced the specialty of family medicine to the Republic. According to Harr, the specialty had been outlawed under the old system to avoid personal relationships between doctors and patients.
The “Physicians With Heart” group spoke with the minister of health and heads of medical schools about the need to build an infrastructure for training family physicians.
“To be able to participate in this event could well shape the future of health care in the country, and that’s exciting,” Harr said.
100 years ago
EDITOR’S NOTE: Fred Hull was editor and publisher of The Maryville Tribune and at the time was also the president of the Missouri Press Association. His column, Sidelights, occasionally appeared on the front page.
SIDELIGHTS
By Fred Hull
————
IT COSTS MONEY TO RUN A NEWSPAPER
————
There was unloaded at The Tribune office the latter part of last week a carload of print paper. This occurs three or four times a year. A carload of print paper costs $1650 and the freight and drayage adds another $150 to that cost. Before the war this same carload of print paper would have cost $880 and the freight and drayage would have been under $100.
In other words, the cost of print paper is twice what it was before the war even to those who have contacts direct with the mill. …
The Tribune’s weekly payroll is a little more than $400 a week. Before the war it was considerably less than half this amount.
In every other department having to do with the publication of a newspaper the costs show the same proportionate increase.
Not only are the costs very much greater for any given commodity or service, but the people would not be satisfied with the smaller newspaper that prevailed prior to the war. …
Maryville has the best newspapers of any town of anything like the same size in the state. The Maryville newspapers fairly represent the best ideals of Maryville people. And yet the Maryville newspapers are being sold at a subscription price below that charged for daily newspapers in other towns of similar size and Maryville newspapers are selling their advertising at lower rates than other newspapers in towns of similar size are charging.
The writer believes that the people of Maryville and of Nodaway County would not be satisfied to have the quality of The Tribune lowered; that they would prefer to pay a little more and give the paper an opportunity to grow. …
Some of these days The Tribune will be obliged to either lower the quality or increase the price.
The 100-year flashback is courtesy of the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project from the State Historical Society of Missouri, viewable at shsmo.newspapers.com. The original column ran in the Dec. 5, 1922, edition of The Maryville Tribune, a predecessor of The Maryville Forum.
