Page 6A — WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2009 Columbia Missourian

New Blunt still

reasons to asserts no
up the exercise ante wrongdoing
Insufficient evidence shine Law and record retention

The federal government enlisted an MU Extension

“were insufficient to ensure
was found to either proper compliance” with those
prove or disprove laws.
professor to help publicize adult exercise guidelines. e-mail allegations. The report cites several Sun-
shine Law requests, beginning
By ALLISON GORDON • news@ColumbiaMissourian.com By DAVID A. LIEB with one in August 2007 by the
The Associated Press Springfield News-Leader, in
How much exercise does it take to lower the risk of early lines for adults was needed,” Ball said. JEFFERSON CITY — Inves- which Blunt’s office responded
death, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain Rather than 30 minutes every day, the federal standards tigators looking into the e-mail that either no records existed
kinds of cancer, osteoporosis or stroke? What about to and MyActivity Pyramid recommend 150 minutes a week retention practices of former or that they were closed. But
improve mental health, cognitive function, prevent inju- of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous Gov. Matt Blunt asserted a subsequent search of backup
ries or just maintain a healthy weight? aerobic activity. The new research indicates daily exercise Tuesday that his administra- e-mail tapes, which preserve
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services does not have to be completed in one setting; the times can tion violated Missouri’s public even deleted e-mails, found
released new activity guidelines and research in late 2008 be accumulated at one’s leisure as long as the activity is records laws. scores of e-mails that should
that answer those questions, and it may mean less time at done in increments of at least 10 minutes. But investigators decided have been covered by the
the gym than you think. The difference between moderate and vigorous activity not to refer the matter to pros- requests.
The 2008 activity guidelines are the first that the federal can be measured with the “talk test” suggested by Ball. ecutors. Blunt’s response said his
government has issued. In 1995, the Centers for Disease During moderate activity a person should be able to carry The report wraps up a nearly
Control and Prevention on a conversation com- staff followed state laws and
one-and-a-half-year probe into certainly did not purposely
and the American Col- fortably but not be able to Blunt’s office that began after
lege of Sports Medicine sing, he said. violate Missouri’s Sunshine
published recommenda- ACTIVITY PYRAMID During vigorous activ-
a former legal counsel said he
was fired for raising concerns
Law. “It is more than fairly
debatable” that the deleted e-
tions stating that adults The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with help from ity, a person should not that colleagues were not fol-
should exercise at least the MU Extension, has created the MyActivity Pyramid, which be able to say more than mail at issue in the August
lowing public records laws.
30 minutes every day at a contains exercise guidelines for people ages 18-64. a few words without 2007 request “had nothing to
Blunt has asserted the staff- do with any management pol-
moderate level. pausing for breath. The er was fired for legitimate rea-
The guidelines are the Inactivity federal guidelines and icy or financial matters” of
sons.
first time the science Limited MyActivity pyramid also the governor’s office and thus
behind exercise guide- stress the importance of Special investigators would not have needed to be
lines and the subsequent daily “lifestyle activity.” appointed by the attorney kept, Blunt’s response said.
•Sitting general’s office did not delve
benefits have been revis- “This wouldn’t neces- n Former Blunt legal counsel
ited in more than 10 sarily be exercise, but into the reasons for the firing
Strength and flexibility of employee Scott Eckersley. Henry Herschel was unfamil-
years. •Yoga At least twice per week some things in your life
Steve Ball, MU associ- where you can get some But their report affirmed his iar with his duties as custodian
•Stretching assertions that Blunt staffers of records and “lacked knowl-
ate professor of exercise •Strength Training activity, chores and things
physiology and state fit- like that,” Ball said. “You wrongly deleted some e-mails edge of the Sunshine Law and
ness specialist with MU Aerobic activities can get significant health and failed to follow the state’s record retention statutes.”
•Tennis open-records laws. Investiga-
Extension, said the guide- •Swimming 75-150 minutes per benefits just from doing Blunt’s response gener-
lines “give people more week, depending on that. Going from com- tors said the extent of Blunt’s ally defends Herschel. But it
•Jogging personal involvement in his
choice on the frequency •Basketball intensity pletely sedentary to doing acknowledges that, in dealing
and intensity of their anything is going to give office’s public-records fail-
with ambiguous laws and reg-
physical activity.” •Biking you the most bang for ures could not be determined
Lifestyle activities ulations, Herschel “may have
To streamline the new •Yard work your buck.” because Blunt refused either
Every day to be deposed or interviewed. been imperfect in some of his
information, Ball helped •Household chores The MyActivity Pyra- advice regarding the retention
develop a visual aid, pub- •Walking mid and federal guide- Blunt’s response contends
of records or Sunshine Law
lished by MU Extension, lines go hand-in-hand. there is a difference between
documents that must be requirements.”
that represents the guide- Source: MU EXTENSION However, they are for
retained and records that must n There was insufficient
lines for adults from age basic health benefits and
18 to 64. be turned over if retained and evidence to either prove or
STEVE OSLICA/Missourian not weight loss.
Lifestyle activities such “So many people are requested under the Sunshine disprove allegations that mem-
as walking or perform- inactive right now. This Law. bers in Blunt’s administra-
ing household chores make up the base of MyActivity is really just a way to help get them started and let them “To the extent the investiga- tion ordered the destruction
Pyramid, which then moves into aerobic activity and onto know how much physical activity they should be doing dur- tors fail to acknowledge that of backup e-mail tapes after
stretching and weight-lifting. ing the week,” Gammon said in a news release. some correspondence needs an Oct. 31, 2007, open-records
Ball and Robin Gammon, MU Extension associate and MU Extension published the MyActivity Pyramid in an not be retained or that many of request from The Associated
registered dietitian, collaborated in creating the pyramid. effort to help reach Missourians and encourage them to the e-mails they claim should Press.
Previous activity pyramids were based on older food become more physically active. It’s a simple way to spread have been disclosed were not Blunt’s response said the
guide pyramids and nutritional recommendations. In 2005, the message, Ball said. exempt from disclosure, they governor’s office did not order
the USDA developed MyPyramid, a food guide pyramid “Sixty-six percent of Americans are either overweight perpetuate a myth,” Blunt’s the e-mail tapes destroyed
based on nutritional guidelines recommended by the U.S. or obese,” Gammon said. “We all know it’s a problem, but response said. and said the allegation “has
Department of Agriculture. some of us just don’t know where to start. Printing off the How long government become a non-issue.”
“With the development of the new 2008 Physical Activ- MyActivity Pyramid and posting it at your office or put- records must be kept varies by
ity Guidelines, it was obvious that a new graphic modeled ting it on your refrigerator to remind you and others to go Emphasizing the conclusion
topic and often comes down to
after the USDA MyPyramid and based on the new guide- out and be active can be a great start.” of their case, a bipartisan pair
a case-by-case determination
by an individual. For example, of court-appointed attorneys
an e-mail about bringing cook- representing the investigators
ies to a staff party could be filed a motion Tuesday dis-
missing their lawsuit against

Bill would insure Complaints against

deleted immediately.
But records relating to man- Blunt’s administration.
agement, financial and policy The state paid both for the
matters are supposed to be investigators and the private

200,000 Missourians car company lead saved for three years. attorneys who represented
The investigators concluded Blunt’s office.
Tuesday that: The total tab: more than
n Governor’s office policies $660,000, most of which was

to court settlement
By Chance Seales Health Coverage” plan would and practices related the Sun- spent on Blunt’s defense.
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com redirect much of those funds to

JEFFERSON CITY — A
revived health care bill based
on last year’s Insure Missouri
legislation received no opposi-
Morning break-in
providing preventive and prima-
ry health coverage to Missouri’s
uninsured.
Representatives from hospi- By JONATHAN RANDLES

tion during a Tuesday commit-
tee hearing. The bill would give
more than 200,000 Missourians
health insurance.
tals and insurance companies
also appeared before the com-
mittee to voice their support for
the initiative. There were no
witnesses in opposition.
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
The owner of Columbia Car
Classics has been ordered by
Missouri Attorney General
results in arrest
More Online
To view a PDF of the document
of the settlement between the

Last year’s bill died at the
end of session when Rep. Rob
Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, the chair-
man of the House Healthcare
Transformation Committee,
refused to bring the bill to the
floor without reforming hospital
expansion provisions.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tom
Dempsey, R-St. Charles County,
told the Senate Seniors, Families
and Public Health Committee on
Tuesday that the plan would keep
thousands of uninsured Missouri
citizens out of emergency rooms
visits that are expensive to the
government.
Dempsey said there are thou-
sands of Missouri workers who
don’t qualify for Medicaid cov-
erage, but also don’t have the
funds to purchase private insur-
ance. More than 700,000 Mis-
sourians are uninsured.
Dempsey said uninsured peo-
ple frequently seek basic servic-
es at hospital emergency rooms,
and the goal of his bill is, “get-
ting them out of the emergency
room, which is many cases reac-
tive care, and getting them to a
primary care physician.” Many
patients receive treatment at
emergency rooms, but that does
not always translate into pay-
ments for hospitals.
Under the current system,
unpaid costs at Missouri ERs
are covered largely by federal
dollars. Dempsey’s “Show-Me
Opposition, however, could be
found among members of the
House. Schaaf said that though
increasing health care coverage
is commendable, it should not be
subsidized by Missouri taxpay-
ers. He said paying for many
citizens’ insurance amounts to
“health welfare” and expressed
concern that Missourians who
work and carry health insur-
ance are left to foot the bill for
others who do not.
Eligibility for the program is
determined by where one falls on
the Federal Poverty Level scale.
In 2008, the poverty line was
defined as an annual income of
$10,400 or less for one person.
If an individual falls at or
below the poverty line, they
would not be required to con-
tribute any money for their
coverage. In the program,
as income increases, so does
required personal contribution,
up to $83 per month for people
earning $23,400 annually.
The estimated cost for the bill
has not yet been released. The
initiative’s predecessor, how-
ever, was projected to cost the
state of Missouri at least $64
million per year.
Dempsey’s proposal will face
a committee vote in the com-
ing weeks before moving on to
the same House committee that
stalled the bill last year.
Chris Koster to provide car
titles, warranties and money
for trade-ins that were prom-
ised to customers but never
received, according to a settle-
ment released Tuesday.
The attorney general reached
the settlement with the deal-
ership after investigating 84
citizen complaints over the
last year, said Travis Ford, a
spokesman for Koster.
The settlement states that
Aaron Payne, the owner of the
used car dealership, didn’t give
five of his customers titles for
the cars they were purchas-
ing – a violation of Missouri
law.
According to the settlement,
he also did not purchase war-
ranties for nine customers
to whom he promised cover-
age.
Payne said he was satisfied
with the judgment but said he
would not discuss the specifics
of the ruling.
He was forced to close
Columbia Car Classics in July
and is unemployed, he said.
“With all the publicity, it’s
hard to get a job in this town
in the auto industry,” Payne
said.
He will have 30 days to give
the attorney general’s office
the five car titles, and to prove
Attorney General’s office and
Columbia Car Classics, visit
ColumbiaMissourian.com.
he purchased the nine war-
ranties.
If he doesn’t, the car sales
become void, and he will have
to reimburse his customers for
the cost of the cars.
Payne said providing the
attorney general’s office with
proof of warranties and car
titles will not be a problem.
Payne will also need to re-
imburse seven customers who
were told they would have
car loans paid off for trad-
ing in their cars but were
never compensated. In addi-
tion, he will pay $4,624 for
court costs and other dam-
ages. He will be fined $2,000
if he violates any terms of the
settlement.
According to previous Mis-
sourian reports, on July 31,
Columbia Car Classics was
closed temporarily by court
order on behalf of Manheim
Automotive Financial Servic-
es Inc. and Kansas City Auto
Auction Inc. The two compa-
nies sued Columbia Car Clas-
sics because they said Payne
failed to make payments on a
$700,000 loan that helped him
buy more than 50 vehicles for
the dealership.
of five suspects
Deputies quickly
made arrests after
the resident said he
knew one intruder.
By Jehan Roberson
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Boone County Sheriff’s Dep-
uties responded to a robbery
in progress at about 8:45 a.m.
Tuesday at a southeast Colum-
bia apartment.
A resident of the apartment,
located in the 4400 block of
Bellview Drive, awoke to the
sound of glass breaking in
his apartment, according to a
news release from the Boone
County Sheriff’s Department.
When he went to investigate,
he discovered three males in
his kitchen. When they were
discovered, the three intrud-
ers left the apartment and
entered a waiting car.
The resident said he saw a
female standing next to the car,
waiting for the three males.
They drove away before depu-
ties arrived.
The resident said he recog-
nized one of the males as some-
one he knew through his room-
mate, according to the release.
Because of this information,
authorities quickly located and
apprehended four suspects at
an apartment in the 1600 block
of Westwind Drive.
All of the suspects were held
in addition to a fifth person
at the apartment who was
implicated in the crime. Dur-
ing their interviews, deputies
confirmed that all five people
were involved in either the
planning or execution of the
burglary, the release said.
According to the news
release, the suspects arrested
in connection with the bur-
glary are Clinton T. Bradley,
17, of Columbia; Mark A. Rose,
18, of Columbia; Westley C.
Wilburn, 18, of Columbia;
Tanya M. Gould, 19, of Colum-
bia; and a 16-year-old female
from Columbia.
Bradley and Wilburn were
also arrested on charges of
manufacturing a controlled
substance for the marijuana
plants found growing at the
Westwind apartment, the
release said.
No bonds had been set at
press time.