By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
PITTSBURG, Kan. — Tyler Swezey has fond memories of Roaring River State Park.
“I’ve been going to Roaring River since I was a little kid,” said Swezey, 21, of Drexel, Mo. “I’ve spent a lot of the best times of my life there, just fishing and hanging out with friends and family.”
Swezey, a senior in communications at Pittsburg State University, said those memories inspired him and a friend, Anthony Monteleone, 22, when it came to crafting a documentary film for one of their broadcasting classes.
Their film, “Everyone Lives Downstream,” garnered a first-place award from Collegiate Broadcasters Inc., a national organization that recognizes student achievement in media, during the group’s national convention last month in Kansas City, Mo.
“Coming up to the moment, I was a little nervous,” Swezey said. “But hearing my name was really rewarding. I was just like, ‘Wow!’”
The documentary explores the concerns of some anglers and neighbors of the Cassville, Mo., state park who have filed a legal challenge against a concentrated animal feeding operation located just a mile from the park entrance. The CAFO houses about 65,600 chickens.
“I think they did a heck of a job,” said Jim Riedel, president of the Roaring River Parks Alliance and one of those featured in the film. “When they called me and asked me to do an interview, I just about didn’t do it. I had no idea how good it was going to be.”
For Troy Comeau, director of PSU’s broadcasting department, the win cements Pittsburg State’s reputation as one of the nation’s leading institutions for young broadcasters.
“I think over the past five years or so, our broadcast program has been nationally known,” he said. “So it’s nice to be recognized as top in the nation. I’m very proud of Tyler and Anthony.”
Comeau said the department has been nominated for at least six other finalist awards from the national group, but this is the department’s first win.
The competition is open to any college or university and does not take into account enrollment or other factors.
“Ithaca College in New York is usually our biggest competition,” Comeau said. “But their tuition is outrageous, so they have a lot of nice equipment. For our students to be able to compete really says a lot about what our students can do here.”
Part 2
Tyler Swezey and Anthony Monteleone plan to do a follow-up film next semester that will focus on the statewide impact of CAFOs in Missouri.
Monteleone said they want “to see if there’s a way to resolve this, and allow these businesses to continue and also allow our natural resources to be protected.”
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
PSU students win national award for CAFO film
- Local News
-
-
Cattle prices reach record highs as inventories drop to 60-year lows
Just a few years ago, a 700-pound steer calf brought 60 cents a pound for Jim McCann, a cattleman who lives near Miller. Now, a comparable calf may bring nearly three times that amount, McCann said Tuesday.
-
GALLERY: Missouri Arts Council honors Joplin as Creative Community
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Joplin’s creativity was heralded in a state award presented Wednesday, but it was the town’s resiliency that earned it a standing ovation from arts supporters and state legislators attending ceremonies at the Capitol.
-
‘A creek runs through it’ concept posed for new JHS
The Joplin Board of Education got its first peek at preliminary architectural renderings for the new Joplin High School at a special meeting Wednesday night. Architects from DLR Group, based in Omaha, Neb., and Corner Greer & Associates, based in Joplin, presented the plans to the board for its blessing to move forward with the design concept.
-
Synthetic pot cited in charge; two girls sick
An 18-year-old Neosho resident was charged with child endangerment after being accused of supplying two teenage girls with “incense,” or synthetic marijuana, that made them sick enough Tuesday night to require hospital treatment.
-
Judge overrules defense motions in infant death case
A judge has denied a recent series of motions by Eddie Salazar’s attorney to get statements he made to police suppressed before his trial next month on a charge that he murdered his 8-month-old son two years ago.
-
Kansan describes trips into space during PSU visit
Everyone had a reason Wednesday afternoon for heading to Yates Hall at Pittsburg State University. Kansas native Steven Hawley was there to make a presentation called “The Engineering, Scientific and Cultural Legacy of the Space Shuttle,” which attempted to fit into 30 minutes 30 years of human space flight and what we have learned from it.
-
Authorities not sure whether gun had any role in death
An autopsy is scheduled to be performed today on a body discovered inside a mobile home that was destroyed by fire late Tuesday night.
-
MSSU president says governor’s proposal provides some relief
Bruce Speck, president of Missouri Southern State University, on Wednesday said Gov. Jay Nixon’s plan to restore $40 million of his proposed $106 million cut to higher education would help ease the university’s situation.
-
Mike Pound: Honoring a great lady and a life well lived
Dorothy Parker’s friends and family will tell you she knew how to live. The transplant from New Iberia, La., took Neosho by storm when she relocated there in 1993. In 1994, Dorothy suggested that the folks at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 305 W. Spring St., put on a Mardi Gras dinner, and she offered to do the bulk of the cooking.
-
Mo. AG candidates objects to birth control order
Republican attorney general candidate Ed Martin wants Missouri to object to a federal decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Mo. Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Girl, 9
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
