Links provided to top posts in this week's Turner Report/Inside Joplin

This has been an unusual week for the Turner Report with six of its top 10 posts involving a major story that has been covered by this blog, KOAM, KZRG, Joplin News First, and KODE, but left untouched by the Joplin Globe.

That story, of course, involved explosive allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault made against Rangeline Sonic, 1101 S. Range Line, and its managers and supervisors, including the filing of a felony statutory sodomy charge against Chris Alred, 31, Springfield.

The Turner Report followed its initial post on Monday morning with the revelation that the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney had filed a motion to revoke Alred's bond because he had been charged with his sixth DWI.

Later that day, a man knocked on my apartment door. When I opened it, he asked, "Are you Mr. Turner?"  When I said I was, he punched me, knocking me to the floor, necessitating a visit from Joplin Police, followed by a stop at the Freeman emergency room.

The Police Department issued a warrant for Alred on assault charges, in connection with what happened at my apartment.

Later in the week, after poring through federal court documents, I showed a pattern of sexual harassment lawsuits against Sonic caused by its managers' sexual harassment of teenage carhops, all of which ended with Sonic settling with the plaintiff, including a $2 million settlement at a New Mexico Sonic.

The Joplin Sonic lawsuit became the subject of reports, as noted above, by KOAM, KZRG, and Joplin News First, while it was noted by KODE in its report on my assault. While the Joplin Globe carried a brief account of what happened to me, there was no mention of the Sonic report, which should come as no surprise, since that would have been a tacit admission that the Globe had not bothered to cover the lawsuit.

The week included other disturbing stories, including a Joplin man who allegedly beat his 10-year-old son and threatened his children with a gun, a day care owner charged with kidnapping a client's child, and the release of a man charged with multiple assault charges, drug trafficking, kidnapping, child endangerment on a $2,500 bond.

Both the initial report of the lawsuit against Rangeline Sonic and my account of my assault are now among the top 10 most visited Turner Report posts of all time.

An item of note- I usually don't do this, but this week I have also included the top post from my sports blog, Turner Resports, because it was not only the top post for the week, but for the entire nearly four years that the blog has been in existence. Apparently, a lot of people agreed with me that Stacy Randolph and Heather Lundien belong in the Webb City Athletic Hall of Fame.

The links to the top posts are featured below. Please read the message below the links.

The Turner Report

1. Thirty minutes ago I was attacked

2. Explosive lawsuit claim: Pervasive sexual harassment at Rangeline Sonic led to assaults on two underage girls

3. Sonic supervisor named in sexual harassment lawsuit cited for sixth DWI

4. Joplin Police Department issues arrest warrant for former Sonic supervisor charged with my assault

5. My assault, the Joplin Globe and the First Amendment

6. Probable cause: Joplin man beat 10-year-old son, has threatened to shoot his children, used taser on them

7. Joplin man charged with kidnapping, assault, child endangerment, drug trafficking, free on $2,500 bond

8. Sexual harassments nothing unusual for Sonic, $2 million settlement reached in New Mexico case

9. Seneca R-7 School District to pay $11,000 to child injured when window fell out of press box

10. Joplin daycare owner charged with attempting to kidnap client's baby

Inside Joplin

1. Joplin two-month-old baby in critical condition at Children's Mercy, arrest made for child abuse

2. Joplin resident finds couple in basement, man arrested with meth in his sock

3. Neosho teen killed in accident at 7th and Rex

4. Area law enforcement team for major marijuana seizure near Jasper

5. Joplin Police arrest woman on drug charges, find two bags of meth in her underwear at city jail

6. Police Department arrests Joplin man on 23 warrants, including four felonies

7. Joplin man arrested for abuse of 10-year-old boy

8. Carl Junction Police: Would you like this dog?

9. Joplin Police Department Arrests September 11-12

10. Jasper County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

Inside Joplin Obituaries

1. Jason Hall

2. Missy Harper

3. Amber Epling

4. Scott Spigarelli

5. Linda Gonzalez

6. Angela Cruz

7. Robin Gordon

8. Tom Thorne

9. Susie George

10. Tony Miller

Turner Resports

1. Stacy Randolph and Heather Lundien should be in Webb City Athletic Hall of Fame

***

Investigative reporting costs money, though I did not realize until this week that those costs might include a visit to the emergency room. For years, the Turner Report has published one big story after another, ranging from damning revelations about Wallace Bajjali that were published even before the Texas firm was hired as the City of Joplin's master developer, to revelations about out-of-control spending and the mass exit of teachers at the Joplin R-8 School District, questionable campaign contributions to Judge Dean Dankelson, to revelations about the background of former Missouri Southern State University President Bruce Speck.

These are featured along with other southwest Missouri stories and state and national politics in the Turner Report, extensive records reporting and local reporting in Inside Joplin and a source of free obituaries in Inside Joplin Obituaries.

While there are many in the Joplin area do not care for the type of reporting that is done by the Turner Report/Inside Joplin, I know there are many of you who do appreciate having a kind of news operation that is unique to the Joplin area and provides an alternative to an out-of-touch newspaper of record. 

A few people have been faithful financial supporters of Turner Report/Inside Joplin. If you appreciate what this alternative news operation is doing, please consider taking a subscription or making a contribution at one of the PayPal buttons below or send your subscription or contribution to Randy Turner, 2306 E. 8th, Apt. G, Joplin, MO 64801.

Thank you.

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