Litchfield Independent Review - Story - Comments

So how will Urdahl screw

scrubs — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:26:53 -0500

So how will Urdahl screw this up and waste our tax payer money??? I will give him credit he does know how to spend money, maybe one day he will learn how to spend it without wasting the money on things like Changing the State Song or Debating if the American Flag should be made in America( No Duh)

Well stated, pretty hard to

LitchRes — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:42:26 -0500

Well stated, pretty hard to add to that!

Dang, man. I was hopin for

TheOberg — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:27:47 -0500

Dang, man. I was hopin for sunshine and warmth. But we don't all get what we want, right? On another note, The Weather Channel (Which to my knowledge is the only cable channel left that isn't corporately owned) is going up for sale. What happens when big business can control what we perceive the weather to be? We'll find out, I guess.

Why are we wasting money

TheOberg — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:19:04 -0500

Why are we wasting money trying to keep Mexicans out of our country when we've still got people who can't even find a house to live in let alone food to put on their table. It's all about common sense and priorities, and this government has none of the first. (They do have priorities, but to say that they are well thought out or good in any way is probably naive.)

Why are we so scared of Mexicans? They're Mexicans, not evil sorcerers.

AMB, first of all I am a

LoriM — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:30:17 -0500

AMB, first of all I am a major advocate of 'If you do the crime, you do the time!!!'. There are a lot of criminals in this county and I wish they were ALL behind bars!! I'm not sure who you are refering to as 'wrongly accused'., please elaborate. Also, I don't have a website, I did help to get one 'created' for the victims of Meeker County so that they could vent their feelings. I do not post on that site nor do I intend to.
I do sit back in my recliner on occasion with my laptop and check it out although I have very little time to do that. If you have a problem with me, please spit it out or send me an email, I'm a big girl, I can handle you or anyone else that has a problem with my posts. We have many, many loyal, dedicated and trustworthy law enforcement officers in our community and for that I am thankful! As for the others, someday they will all be brought to light and justice will be served!!! Until that day, I will sit back and wait patiently!! We all know how long it takes the federal government to get paperwork completed and moving forward!!

I am new to writting a

AMB — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:54:48 -0500

I am new to writting a comment, but I have followed everything that has been posted on the FBI coming to town. I would like to thank everyone for all they have brought up, its been intreasting to say the least. But I would like to apolagize to all the wrongly accused in meeker county, jez Lori I guess everyone who has ever been in trouble is innocent. Remember Lori you dont get brought to jail for doing nothing wrong, and all these inocent people I'm sure were sitting in there recliners watching wheel of fortune. I know people like you and I was in middle school at the time they were reffered to as drama queens. Let it ride out and take place. The FBI I am sure goes to your web site daily to get all the information you have tracked down for them. Holy smokes keep up the good work.

Stan, Stan, Stan - the head

Sleuth — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:39:20 -0500

Stan, Stan, Stan - the head of the sheriff's office and/or the county comissioner has thrown you a line that you have swallowed hook, line and sinker. Disgruntled employees can bring down an investigation by the FBI? Why didn't that happen 10 years ago? After all over 3/4 of the department publicly supported the opponent, must have been one or two disgruntled employees back then? Why aren't every other police agency, public office and/or private business currenlty under investigation, I'm sure there is one or two disgruntled employees from other places of employment out there. Apparantly all they have to do is call the FBI and an investigation is started. Stan, I thought you were smarter than that?!?!? Maybe, just maybe, a victim (non-employee) stepped forward? Maybe an employee saw some illegal activity and placed a phone call? Maybe an audit showed some things that weren't right? Maybe an FBI operative stumbled into something and decided to run with it? Maybe this investigation is the result of another investigation that led them to Meeker County? Why is that everytime the county and/or the head of the sheriff's office gets into trouble, they immediately blame it on a former "disgruntled employee?" Because that is an easy out that makes the suspect look like a victim and we always feel sorry for the victim. Bottom line Stan is that something significant has happened which has brought an FBI investigation down on some people working for the county. The reason the comissioners aren't talking is because they don't know what it's all about. The reason the County Attorney is not talking is because it's not her investigation (FBI = Federal Attorney not County Attorney). The reason the suspect is not talking, well I hope that one is pretty obvious. Stan you have single handedly kept this story alive in the newspaper. I'm pretty sure you're not going to let it go away, which makes most happy. But a piece of advice, be careful with the blame game, egg does not look good on your face.

Thank you litchres about

EagleScout — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:38:50 -0500

Thank you litchres about time you said something worth saying! Keep on calling them "ALL" out! Much like myself. you just answered the questions you put in front of me on other postings. Im calling them all out as well. Mr Roeser does know that this investigation is pretty much done it's the rest of the info. he dosnt know. but some of us may have privy too.

"Similarly, if the FBI visit

LitchRes — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:47:22 -0500

"Similarly, if the FBI visit turned out to be nothing more than a wild goose chase triggered by the whining of disgruntled former sheriff’s department employees, the federal agency should own up to that, too"----Mr. Roeser...do you REALLY believe that 10 FBI Agents would come into town and spend that much time and effort based on the comments of a few disgruntled employees? Have you personally talked to any of these former employees to see what they have to say? To me, that is nothing more than a cheap excuse being made by those that are the subject of this investigation...it amounts to finger pointing and playing the victim instead of being held accountable.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that too much time has passed without any comments from the county board or the sheriff.

I find it strange that you had a "long and serious conversation" with your local commissioner, but it resulted in "no action". WHAT?? You had a LONG AND SERIOUS conversation and you learned nothing? Or was it all "off the record" so you cant write about it?

Mr. Roeser--I am calling you out on this...you have done nothing short over the years but to protect and shelter the sheriff from any negative publicity towards him. I bet a couple former sheriff candidates that ran against Hirman can verify that! I can respect defending your friends, that is what friends are supposed to do for each other, but in journalism, there are times where friendships need to be pushed aside so the truth can come out.

Good call. You would think

Slikweasel — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:00:07 -0500

Good call. You would think that the county would make at least some public statement as to put the rumors to rest. That way all the conspiracy theorists would either be proven wrong or justified. The citizens of this county at least deserve an explanation. I think Sheriff Hirman at least owes us that much.

Now embroiled in a lawsuit for strip searching inmates, which I may add is a generally permissable procedure statewide, no statement has been issued. I do believe however photographing a female inmates pierced nipples is not an accepted procedure. Just because you are incarcerated does not mean that you are to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. I would certainly classify the photography of a persons privates by law enforcement officials cruel and unusual.

Why the silence? Why all the hiding behind lawyers? Why all the secrecy. If there has been no wrongdoing let us see some transparency.

School administrators did

Kristin Holtz — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:33:17 -0500

School administrators did not express concern about being able to pay for the daily counseling time. The district hopes to cover the two hours - to be purchased from the Wings Adolescent Treatment Center - through its crime levy. Business manager Todd Swanson said schools use the levy in different ways, including hiring police officers and purchasing security cameras.

America's youth are facing

randay91 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:16:58 -0500

America's youth are facing an ever changing set of problems and barriers preventing them from having successful lives. It is hard to imagine that the youths of America are committing illegal acts such as burglary, arson, murder, selling of drugs, drug use, underage drinking, auto theft and crimes against other persons such as violent acts involving at times the use of weapons like knives and guns. However they are, and at alarming rates.
To accurately assess the juvenile justice system and its role in delinquency prevention, it is imperative to take into account the nature and volume of cases coming before American juvenile courts. According to the OJJDP, “in 1992, an estimated 1 million juveniles in the United States were charged with approximately 1.5 million delinquent acts, a 26-percent increase from the volume of cases reported in 1987.
According to McInnis (2002), “Risk factors play a very large part in juvenile delinquency.” Risk factors such as community disorganization, availability of drugs and firearms, and persistent poverty, make children more prone to involvement in delinquent behavior than if those factors were not present. Additionally, when a child's family life is filled with violence, problem behaviors, poor parental monitoring, and inconsistent disciplinary practices or maltreatment, a child's risk of delinquency increases (Becker 2002). Youth exhibiting combinations of these deficits in multiple domains of their lives are at highest risk of delinquency.
Needless to say juvenile delinquency has risen greatly over the years, and there are many contributing factors for juvenile delinquency. Comprehensive strategies continue to be implemented in order to offer juveniles the opportunity to restructure their lives as law abiding citizens. Our current juvenile justice system is not just about retribution, it also has dedicated its self to the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, much like the adult justice system. However the juvenile justice does not act alone in the rehabilitation sector. States and local communities have begun to take serious interest in combating juvenile delinquency.
Communities are beginning to mobilize to combat juvenile delinquency through prevention, early intervention, and community-building strategies that address local needs. They are reducing serious and violent juvenile delinquency by using multi-agency, coordinated approaches and innovative programs and services in the juvenile justice system. But what do the communities look for when determining the type of prevention programs that are needed? Well, there is in reality no single cause of delinquency and violence. Delinquents, especially chronic delinquents, exhibit a variety of social and psychological deficits in their backgrounds. These deficits, often referred to as risk factors, stem from breakdowns in five influential domains in juveniles' lives: neighborhood, family, school, peers, and individual characteristics. (Vito & Simonsen 2004)
According to Vito & Simonsen (2004), “The most effective programs are those that address key areas of risk in the youth's life, those that seek to strengthen the personal and institutional factors that contribute to healthy adolescent development, those that provide adequate support and supervision, and those that offer youth a long-term stake in the community.”
Meeker County, the community that I live in, offers many community resources to its youth. Although they work independently, they collectively have the same agenda, combating juvenile delinquency through prevention, early intervention, and through education. The examples that I had selected for a research paper I did for school included the Libre Academy. It is sad to see that they are closing their doors because they are a great community based resource!
According to Becker (2002), “Studies and statistics show that adolescents that suffer from drug addiction that go through treatment and then go straight back into the same life (the same friends, school, patterns and challenges) have a very high chance of multiple relapses”. Libre Academy was designed to help students who had gone through treatment programs and returned to school, only to relapse and end up back where they had started.

I would hope that some how the the school district is able to find it within their budget to proceed as planned with the hiring of counselors to come into the school as stated in this artical.

I would love to see community members support this effort! Realize the impact that this could have in the lives of your children! It wo9uld be additionaly nice to see the community mobilize and come up with ideas as to financial contributions to this program! Is there a way we can get this out there on the radio and mobilize a community donations request and fundraising for this program in order to ensure it's survival?

wow!

randay91 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:06:23 -0500

wow!

i know janenne and her

travhewt71 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:49:41 -0500

i know janenne and her family my prays are with them tonite
Travis H
Mediaoplis, IA

Nice to see this idiot is

randay91 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:15:17 -0500

Nice to see this idiot is behind bars!