The Turner Report

Each day, Missouri reporters and politicians, and many in our nation's capital, read The Turner Report to get their first glimpse at stories that later appear in the traditional media.In his first non-fiction book, Randy Turner offers a collection of some of his favorite stories, old and new, including:A minor presidential candidate fakes his death, then mounts a political comeback.Small town police officers terrorize teens and minorities until a brutal beating in the city jail brings their deeds to light.In Missouri's best-remembered gubernatorial primary race, the loser became one of the most powerful men in the country; the winner ended up in a federal penitentiary.An angry mob is ready to kill two men it believes were involved in the Oklahoma City bombing.The grieving parents of Nancy Cruzan go to the U. S. Supreme Court and back to prove their daughter has a right to die.The special interests backing Congressman Roy Blunt and his son, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, are revealed.Combine those stories with Turner's examination of the effect lobbyists and special interests are having on Missouri and Washington, and you have a must-read book as the nation prepares for the 2008 elections.

Randy Turner is an eighth grade English teacher at South Middle School in Joplin, MO and spent more than two decades as a journalist, earning more than 100 awards. He is also the author of the popular news blog The Turner Report.