Speakout 4/14

Sunday, April 14, 2002

I hope you saw the high school play. Not only is it entertaining, but it also teaches us something about life. Way to go!

Can someone tell me why not all the channels are printed in the Standard Democrat Preview Guide?

Some of the channels are not printed in the grid because of the lack of space, however, the information you are looking for should be below the grid in the program listings.

I have a question for the city officials in Sikeston. What did you do to try to keep Kmart from closing its store here?

We called Sikeston City Manager Doug Friend with your question. "Very early on, members of the city staff visited with management at the local Kmart and decision-makers at the headquarters in Michigan. The city, along with the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce, sent a number of letters and information about our community in an attempt to persuade upper management to keep the Sikeston store open. In the end, the bankruptcy plan submitted chose to divest itself of leased facilities. Sikeston's facility was leased and not owned by Kmart."

On a recent shopping trip to one of our local neighbor-owned stores, I witnessed a very embarrassing scene. I witnessed the manager continually asking a young employee if this task was finished and if that task was done, in a very degrading tone. Without giving the employee a chance to answer, the manager continued with his questions. A manager is the leader of employees, not a king. He or she should guide the employees to greatness and pride in their work. The employees will work harder if they have any hope of reaching the goals and expectations of the boss. If the employees are made to believe nothing they do is going to be good enough, they do not see any need to try. Any company is only as good as its employees, not the manager. If the employees do not have a sense of pride and accomplishment, the company will fail. Remember, employers. You are forming the work force of tomorrow. If you make your employees feel as if they are unable to do the work assigned, they will develop the attitude that they cannot. As for my shopping trip, I will not return to that store because of the embarrassment for the young employee.

Is it possible for anyone to view their own police record? After all, it is all about yourself. If so, where and how?

To see a police record, you would have to go where an arrest was made. To get a criminal history, forms need to be filled out. The fee is $5 for a name check and a fingerprint check is $14. This would get you a copy of all open arrests. The best way is to fill out the form and send it in with the fee. This would get you any information that would be available to the general public. The information you would receive would show anything on you that is not a closed record, any charges that were issued within the state. The Request for A Criminal Records Check form is available at the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.