RememberSchiff

Utah lawmaker Dixon Pitcher is drafting a vandalism bill. Fines of $15,000 or more. Too late for these two. http://kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_8415.shtml

FEMA funds 75%, Pony Express Council 25% "Camp Geiger is located on the bluffs of the Missouri River just north of St. Joseph. It's also about 150 miles south of a Boy Scout camp in Iowa where a tornado killed four boys in 2008. Pony Express Council officials say Camp Geiger's concrete shelters are expected to be built by December 2015. They'll include restrooms, showers, phones and other amenities for campers and visitors" http://www.komu.com/news/missouri-bo...nado-shelters/

A very bad idea, your troop will be adult-run in no time. Your SM misunderstands the methods of scouting. My $0.02

At home playing Minecraft while awaiting delivery of a XBox One or PS4.

Actually the 13yr old, 7th grade minimum makes me suspect that council has a goal of completely filling the course with bodies - bad idea and worse if class size is huge (50-75 scouts). Hopefully there is an screening interview process and all those attending are exceptional future leaders as you suspect. Another $0.02

Are you sure about the "qualifications"? Usually 14 yrs old is the minimum (no Venturer would be 13), past leadership experience and likely higher leadership position after NYLT would be required, and of course you would need unit leader recommendations. Your unit(s) might help with cost. Have you talked to previous attendees (your age and scouting experience) about course quality? What did they learn, what did they apply to their unit, is their unit scout run? Not all NYLT courses are equal quality. Occasionally some up and coming scout leaders opt to take NYLT with another council or not take NYLT at all. That said, if applying to your council NYLT is still your desire, then just do it before the slots fill. If they say no, well you tried and that is a valuable leadership trait in itself. My $0.02

I think we in Scouting create that mindset. We often say "Do your best" and that often is misinterpreted as earn your Eagle. Advancement method is way OVER-emphasized. Cubs earn all their ranks, so why not Boy Scouts. We honor and showcase those who earn Eagle, the others not as much. Maybe we should bestow a higher Court of Honor to those, whatever rank, who remain in Scouting until they age out. Or those that serve as youth leaders for year after year, say a scout who served well as PL for 4 or 5 year straight. Say wouldn't it be cool to have gold of silver bars on a PL patch for such scouts? My $0.02

Ever notice at an activity how parents tend to "cluster yak" in one spot rather than disperse themselves.

Same here, an adult needs unit advancement paperwork to buy badges. A random parent and certainly a scout cannot purchase badges. As to parents misconceptions, I have wonder if merit badges, rank badges, etc, should be placed behind the counter, not out with the rest of the scout goods that can be openly purchased???

"...Scouting Beyond Bars program begun two years ago by the correctional center, Lincoln Trails Council Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Central Illinois. The purpose is to maintain the bond between mother and child during the woman’s prison sentence and introduce them to an activity they can continue after they are reunited in the community. The program came together through the efforts of Steve Spaide, an administrative assistant at the prison, Bob Larson, Boy Scouts district director, and Vicki Harber-Wheeler, Girl Scouts program director." http://herald-review.com/news/local/moms-kids-bond-through-scouting-prison-program/article_2ed6e7dc-54ca-11e3-98a1-0019bb2963f4.html Good story.

Some other newspapers have now picked-up this story, neither link below mentions that he was earlier denied Eagle because he was too young. Both articles below mention 1. his goal is to earn Eagle by his 14th birthday this January. 2. he plans to continue in Scouting 3. He is homeschooled 4. Working to earn all MB's "just happened" 5. believes he is 210th scout to earn ALL mb's 6. nothing about parental help http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/me...ry-merit-badge http://newstimes.augusta.com/news/20...ry-merit-badge One interesting statement was the following: "Though (scout) can buy the badges he’s earned, he’d rather wait until mid-December, when they’ll be presented to him at a quarterly Court of Honor ceremony." Wow when did this happen? Ok scout congratulations, you earned these merit badges. Here's your receipt (blue card), go down to the scout store or scoutstuff and buy 'em. Say they are having a sale - buy 3 merit badges and get 20% off on your next merit badge pamphlet. Have to admit, I have felt like tell some helicopter parents this, when our troop's recognition process wasn't fast enough for them. What next out-source COH to local scout store? My $0.02,

Glad that council quickly responded within the next news cycle. Cub Scouts?

Resolve this quickly! If we are responsible, pay the $5K to replace and if we are not, pay some amount as this happened while scouts were there. http://www.local15tv.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wpmi_did-boy-scouts-damage-vietnam-memorial-5959.shtml Some scout(s) must have seen this happen. My $0.02,

Is this a day time parade? If so it would probably be more visible to vividly paint flames on cardboard and inset in a glued together large teepee campfire. Use some charred sticks. I have done the fan, yellow lights (with dimmer), cloth streamers, red glass marbles (coals) but that worked best in a dark room.

Agree. I wonder where it starts .... My mission as a WL was to prepare my Webelos for Boy Scouts which meant resisting outside pressure to earn all 20 activity badges.

Glad to hear it was not for lack of a tutu.

Well if patches are to be believed, he attended the Summit Jamboree. I wonder how many merit badges he earned there. Many questions all around.

http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/S...232276831.html Apparently this young scout was told by ??? that he was too young to earn Eagle. So he went ahead and earned all 134 merit badges figuring it would be harder to turn him down a second time? According to the article, "just over 200" have earned all merit badges available when they were scouts. I had assumed they were all Eagles, well at least one was not. Time for a second cup of coffee, this is just too strange.

So the distinctions in later years are infamous, unfamous, distinguished ? Hmmm, I may need to add that to my resume Eagle Scout UF

Could scouts take along execs from J.C. Penney, Kohl's, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart?

Luckily our few adult MBC's are more savvy. We have similar issues with some scouts and parents. Can you off-load policing merit badges to another responsible adult leader who will also stand firm as you have?

or maybe EASIO (pronounced Easy-O) Explain And Sign It Off

Scouts from Holland, Michigan will participate in this Sat 11am christening ceremony of the new aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Scouts paid for the trip to Newport News,VA themselves by selling popcorn, flowers, and Christmas wreaths. http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/272709/2/Boy-Scouts-leave-for-USS-Gerald-R-Ford-ceremony Scout salute

Hah, ask if they will throw in a 100' of shoreline. My $0.02 and I'm keeping it.

Okay some ideas - Smaller group - build shelters at a different site. On occasion my scouts have built shelters separately on my wooden lot and later on camping trip they erected tarp shelters. Good time around here is after a storm that left a lot of blow-down. - restore or improve site as best you can. A landowner may want firewood from activity. Keep survival training hands-on. My $0.02,