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The Mid-Knight News SUMMER 2015 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT I just returned home from the International Convention in Reno, NV. It was the first time I had been to Reno I must say, I enjoyed riding in the area I am not sure Leisha liked the hills and curves riding to Virginia City, but the ride to Lake Tahoe was nice. I will not go into any details about the meetings, as Brian Gadd will cover that in his report. I will say that I heard more than one person say it was a waste of four hours to attend the General Membership meeting. When not much was accomplished, due to the International office not sending proper notice of the proposals. NV-II was very well organized at the International Convention and all the rides seemed to run smooth, although some things were sparse. You had coupons in your registration packet for two drinks in the hospitality room you then had to purchase additional drink tickets. This only applied to adult beverages, soft drinks were free, but the hospitality room closed at 10:00 PM and had very limited snack options. In lieu of the BBQ, Reno had a lunch cookout on Tuesday. The cookout was advertised as being at the Mustang Ranch Steak House but turned out to be in a park in Virginia City. The banquet was a set down plate dinner, which was surprisingly good. Entertainment was a Police Officer stand up comedian, Michael Mancini, who has been named the world’s funniest cop. He said a lot of things we have all wanted to say. The weather in NV and CA was great, with no rain and high temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s. The host hotel was nice and connected by skywalks to the overflow hotels, as well as the covered parking garage. The hotels had numerous restaurants so you had little need to leave. Most of the food was very good, we only found one place that disappointed us. The International Convention was very nice and enjoyable. www.blueknightsmwrc.com CONFERENCE OFFICERS Chairman and Editor: Rick McCrea [email protected] Vice-Chairman: Rich Liddick [email protected] Secretary – Treasurer: Tom Ashing [email protected] International Representative: Brian Gadd [email protected] Web Master: Wayne Schwartz [email protected] Safety Officer: Paul French [email protected] FALL 2015 MID WEST REGIONAL CONFERENCE Des Moines Iowa HOSTED BY IA-III SEPTEMBER 11-13, 2015

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Page 1: The Mid-Knight News · convention – June 16-24, 2016. The hotel is the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey and the rate is $129 per night. The registration is $110 but increases to $135

The

Mid-Knight News

SUMMER 2015

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

I just returned home from the International Convention in Reno, NV. It was the first time I had been to Reno I must say, I enjoyed riding in the area I am not sure Leisha liked the hills and curves riding to Virginia City, but the ride to Lake Tahoe was nice. I will not go into any details about the meetings, as Brian Gadd will cover that in his report. I will say that I heard more than one person say it was a waste of four hours to attend the General Membership meeting. When not much was accomplished, due to the International office not sending proper notice of the proposals. NV-II was very well organized at the International Convention and all the rides seemed to run smooth, although some things were sparse. You had coupons in your registration packet for two drinks in the hospitality room you then had to purchase additional drink tickets. This only applied to adult beverages, soft drinks were free, but the hospitality room closed at 10:00 PM and had very limited snack options. In lieu of the BBQ, Reno had a lunch cookout on Tuesday. The cookout was advertised as being at the Mustang Ranch Steak House but turned out to be in a park in Virginia City. The banquet was a set down plate dinner, which was surprisingly good. Entertainment was a Police Officer stand up comedian, Michael Mancini, who has been named the world’s funniest cop. He said a lot of things we have all wanted to say. The weather in NV and CA was great, with no rain and high temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s. The host hotel was nice and connected by skywalks to the overflow hotels, as well as the covered parking garage. The hotels had numerous restaurants so you had little need to leave. Most of the food was very good, we only found one place that disappointed us. The International Convention was very nice and enjoyable.

www.blueknightsmwrc.com

CONFERENCE OFFICERS

Chairman and Editor: Rick McCrea

[email protected]

Vice-Chairman: Rich Liddick

[email protected]

Secretary – Treasurer: Tom Ashing

[email protected]

International Representative:

Brian Gadd [email protected]

Web Master:

Wayne Schwartz [email protected]

Safety Officer:

Paul French [email protected]

FALL 2015 MID WEST REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Des Moines Iowa HOSTED BY IA-III

SEPTEMBER 11-13, 2015

Page 2: The Mid-Knight News · convention – June 16-24, 2016. The hotel is the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey and the rate is $129 per night. The registration is $110 but increases to $135

SUMMER 2015

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VICE CHAIRMAN REPORT

Greetings, my fellow Blue Knights. Well riding season

is here. I hope everyone has had a safe summer so far. My riding

season started by going to the S.R.C. in Shreveport, LA, I had a good time. On the Friday ride I met a gentleman from Florida who’s wife was related to an officer I worked with while working in Omaha. The only bad time was the ride home. In the area of Fort Smith AR while traveling north, I was chased by a tornado. As I continued north, the tornado turned east, lucky for me. The M.W.R.C. in Eagan was somewhat wet but was still a fun event. This fall we are going to Des Moines; in spring of 2016 we are headed to Keokuk, IA. The following weekend starts the International in Harrisburg, PA. Fall of 2016 will be held in Omaha. This article is being written while in route to the International Convention. The first part of the article is being written in Rawlins, WY. The ride was somewhat wet and full of road construction. The motel here in Rawlins is the Super 8 the motel cost me $99.00 plus tax. I don’t know why the price is so high. There is nothing special about it. Hopefully tomorrow (Friday) will be an easier day traveling. Well it is Friday night and it was an interesting day. Crossing the salt flats just outside of Salt

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Lake City was boring. Also, ran into road construction again and of course, there was the rain and hail. Spending the night in Elko NV, it is a nice small city. Should be in Reno tomorrow. Well I made it to Reno and stayed dry today. The hotel is very nice. Monday was full of meetings, the B.O.G. meeting went ok, however the General Membership meeting was a disaster. Nothing was accomplished. The rest of the International went great. If you get into to the area, Lake Tahoe is a must see. It is awesome. Hope to see many members in Des Moines.

INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

REPORT

There has been two Special Meetings, two regular BOD meetings plus the Board of Governors meeting and the General Membership meeting since the spring newsletter. The highlights of the meetings are below. If you would like additional details, the BOD minutes are posted in the “Members Only” section of www.blueknights.org when approved. (The user name is your membership number and the password is your last name in capital letters). I send the minutes to each chapter as they become available and request they send them on to each chapter member.

is here. I hope everyone has had a safe summer so far. My riding

There has been two Special Meetings,

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April 20th, 2014 – SPECIAL MEETING:

This meeting was called to consider Bessie’s request to hire a company to stuff the ballot envelopes for the election. The company is the same who addresses the envelopes. They claim to weigh each outgoing envelope to ensure a properly stuffed envelope. Although I would prefer a completely outsourced election company, this is a step in the right direction and I voted for it. The measure passed 13 to 2.

June 6th, 2014 – BOD MEETING:

President Alvarez asks that all chapters return the chapter survey that was included with the renewal packet. He states it’s important to get 100% participation so we can use accurate information to refute the OMC Gang comparisons.

DJ also wanted travel money approved to assist the Founding Fathers in attending the International convention. Approved 10/4/1. I voted to approve up to $800 each for airfare for Founding Fathers only. Spouses do not qualify for reimbursement.

BOG – Harry Shaw reported there were 4 accidents enroute to the European Conference that qualified for the Special Fund. Milwaukee will be the only bidder for the 2017 International Convention.

New Business:

DJ spent some time rebutting the WCC report, which included the Australian vote of no confidence. The report was not printed in the minutes of the last meeting but was distributed to MWRC chapters as requested by the WCC. See minutes for details.

Proposal 2015-0010: Australian vote of “No Confidence” of DJ Alvarez and Jerry Bryan. Due to the extended conversation prior to this agenda item and the late hour in Australia, the Australian representative was unavailable. I made a motion to table. The vote was 8 to 8 with DJ breaking the tie, defeating the motion to table. The motion

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was heavily discussed without an Australian on the call. There was insufficient evidence to support a no confidence vote so I voted against it. There was 15 no votes and 1 abstention.

Proposal 2015-0011: Add a Medical Professional to Honorary Membership. After an attempt to amend was defeated, the original proposal was defeated 1 to 15. I voted against.

A discipline appeal hearing was tabled to the International convention. The member was unable to attend this meeting.

There was a discussion on a member receiving 2 ballots. There was a motion to have a special meeting to discuss the matter in detail, which passed 9 to 7. However, after further discussion, a motion to reconsider was introduced. The result reversed the original decision on a 9 to 6 vote. The subsequent vote on the special meeting failed 6 to 9 with 1 abstention.

Good of the Order:

There was discussion regarding the grandfathered back patches. It was decided that each conference would investigate and come up with a list of grandfathered chapters in their jurisdiction by the end of September. Chairman McCrea has more on this issue in his article.

July 2ND, 2015 - SPECIAL MEETING:

Meeting with the Auditor to discuss the 3 completed audits. Audits were completed on the International Office, the Building Fund and the Board of Governors. A representative of the auditing firm was on the call to answer questions. The minutes of that meeting and the Auditor’s reports can be found here: http://www.blueknights.org/mo/financials.html. I encourage all members to read it thoroughly as there were significant problems.

July 13th, 2015 – BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING:

There were 120 voting members in attendance. There were 3 Special Fund claims paid and 2

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pending. A motion to pay the $400 fee to the IRS to get the nonprofit status re-established was approved. This was an issue discovered during the audit.

New Business:

Proposal to amend the Board of Governors bylaws so a member bringing a proxy letter to the BOG meeting must be a member of the chapter issuing the proxy letter. Apparently the wording was such that a member of another chapter could bring a proxy letter and represent another chapter. This proposal passed 110 to 10.

2016 Convention Update: The host is PA V – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This is another early convention – June 16-24, 2016. The hotel is the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey and the rate is $129 per night. The registration is $110 but increases to $135 on January 1, 2016 and then again to $160 on March 1, 2016. Get your registrations in early. Apparently they need the money for working capital.

2017 Convention: Wisconsin VI – Milwaukee was the lone bid and received approval. The date will be July 16-21, 2017 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center Downtown. Room rates are $109 per night. The registration is $135.

July 13th, 2015 – GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:

Internet Committee Chairman Mark Howard announced the winner of the Website of the year – Ontario II. The runner up was the NE Conference.

Old Business:

There were two proposals that were on the agenda to be ratified, however, they were not presented in a timely fashion as they should have been up for ratification during the 2013 International Convention. Since they were not properly ratified, the bylaw change was wiped out and will have to be resubmitted and go through the process again. Therefore the 2 items were pulled from the agenda.

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Ratification of resolution amending the Member at Large bylaw passed by the BOD on 1/10/15. Passed. There were 2 no votes. I’m not sure if we will see this again due to the problem listed below.

The remaining ratification items were withdrawn due to a procedural motion claiming a violation of the notification requirements of our Bylaws and Maine State law. Apparently it is required that each member be mailed the meeting notification and proposed changes 30 days prior to the meeting. This was not done and to my knowledge never has been. It has been common practice to mail the notifications and agenda to the chapter address. However, it was discovered that some of the agendas were not included in the chapter mailings. After much confusion and disarray, the remaining old business items were pulled.

New Business:

Proposal 2015-0012: Proposal to pay ½ the start-up cost for South Carolina Chapters in establishing a Blue Knights Special Motorcycle License Plate. It failed overwhelmingly. (No one voted for it).

See the minutes when published for more details on this disaster of a meeting.

July 14th. 2015 – BOD MEETING:

Internet Committee Chairman Mark Howard stated that online renewal are coming and will be linked to the chapter corporate email address. If you are not yet onboard, your chapter will have to be when this is implemented. Contact Paul Croteau (Intl Webmaster) if you need assistance.

VP report: Looking into software for records storage

Past President: Bob Flanagan sought input into building expansion to house museum and office expansion.

Old Business:

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We were informed that the discipline appeal of Gary Frigiola of FL XXXII was off due to his resignation from the Blue Knights. There were concerns that he was attempting to avoid sanctions so he could rejoin at a later date. He was placed on the Persona non-Grata list to prevent that from occurring.

New Business:

Proposals 2015-0013 thru 0017: Various amounts of donations to NEC recommended charities totaling $1000. Each conference is budgeted $1000 from International to donate to charities of their choice (within guidelines). All were approved.

Proposals 2015-0018 & 0019: Proposals to amend the regular and associate membership requirements to mirror LEOSA (HR 218) requirements. Both were withdrawn as they were intended to counteract the corresponding Constitution changes that were not ratified at the General Membership meeting due to being pulled because of the failure to properly notify members.

An audit of the International Office for 2014 was approved. We were told that there were sufficient funds left over from the previous audit to pay for this audit.

The Headquarters Association Meeting was convened to reappoint the current trustees.

The next BOD meeting was set for September 18th at 10 am CDT. Agenda items need to be submitted by August 26th at 7 pm.

Ride with Pride!

Brian Gadd MN 1 Chapter President MWRC International Representative [email protected] [email protected] Cell (507) 828-6503 Home (952) 300-8331

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SECRETARY / TREASURER

REPORT

/ /

Well, the spring 2015 conference is now history and we offer our thanks to MN IV for hosting the event and to all the brother and sister Knights that attended, It was a good turn out and it was an enjoyable conference. It is always good to have a chance to visit with old friends. One of our guided tours was a trip to their Memorial Park at the State Capital. A tip of the hat to Minnesota for such a fantastic site. A great tribute to Veterans of all the wars, and to Police and Firefighters. MN IV provided for a good time while at the conference, however the same can’t be said for the journey to get there. Rain and 59 degrees isn’t my favorite type of traveling weather. But as all riders know, if you don’t get wet, cold, hot, sunburned, wind burned, hailed on, or sleeted on, you can’t really consider yourself a biker.

Now, the ball is in IA III’s court to provide for the next conference. Remember the pre-registration ends the 17th of August. Not only does pre-registration save you money, but it makes it a lot easier on the host in planning their food count and other amenities. Those who have not hosted a conference don’t understand some of the planning that goes into these meetings. By the time you read this newsletter, the site for the International Convention for 2017 will probably be decided. From the last information I have, we only have one bid, and that was from Milwaukee. Of course the 2016 will be in Pennsylvania and I am looking forward to that trip. We are back in the patch business. Just before the conference one chapter placed a large order

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for our patches, emptying my inventory and I wasn’t able to have more patches in stock prior to the conference, but we are well supplied again and ready to sell. Finally congratulations to the newly elected (re-elected) international officers, especially to our own Jerry Bryan who was victorious in his bid for re-election.

/

We are solvent, we have some money in the bank, and all of our submitted bills are paid. In accordance with the motion passed at the spring conference, a check for $1,000.00 was sent to the Hunting for Heroes program. This is a

program to help officers who have been injured or are seriously ill. Hopefully no brother or sister Knight from the Mid-West will ever need it, but maybe it will make life a little easier for some brother or sister in

blue somewhere. This check was solely from the Mid-West but we should be getting a check from International to donate to a charity of our choice. So you need to be thinking about our next donation. It has to be law enforcement related. Looking forward to seeing everyone in September in Des Moines but until then, one other important thing to remember is to ride safely and always,

/ / /

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WEB-MASTER REPORT

Greeting from your Webmaster – Here we are busy into another beautiful riding season. I hope everyone has been getting in lots and lots of miles and enjoying all the terrific sights our wonderful country has to offer. Things are going well on the website front but I’d still like to remind everyone that we all need to continue to report any changes you may have to any of your contact information so I can keep the information listed on the Chapter Contacts page current and accurate. If you have had a recent election and changed officers, which sometimes results in a change of the mailing address or if your chapter has changed service providers, I need to know about the changes so I can update the information that we list so people can get a hold of the various chapters. Even if you aren’t an officer for your chapter, check out the Chapter Contacts page of our MWRC website and if you see that something has changed, please contact me with the corrected information. Send changes to me at [email protected]. Hope to see everyone in Des Moines, IA at the Fall MWRC Conference in September! They always give us a GREAT time!!

SAFETY REPORT

Safety Information, some

basic reminders to help keep you safe.

Get Ready during the Summer Riding Season

Every time, before you hit the road, give your bike a once-over.

• Test the lights, brakes, and turn signals. Be sure all bulbs work.

• Check the oil, transmission and fuel levels.

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• Make sure the mirrors are positioned correctly.

• Check the cables to make sure they aren't worn or frayed.

• Lube the chain and adjust it according to the manufacturer's specs.

• Try a rider-training course to brush up on your skills.

Invest in Good Gear When you're on the open road, there's not much between you and the pavement. Wearing tough gear is always a smart move. • Pick a high-quality helmet that fits well. If it

doesn't have a face shield, pair it up with goggles or glasses with safety lenses.

• Use safety as your excuse to shell out for that leather jacket. Get the pants while you're at it. (We know black and bikes are a perfect match, but a bright color will help other drivers see you better.)

• Wear durable non-slip gloves. • Invest in boots or sneakers that cover your

ankles. When You're Out on the Road Let's be honest: There's a lot of stuff out there that's bigger than your bike. But there's a lot you can do to help keep yourself safe while riding. • Always wear a helmet that fits right. Pick one

that has the DOT label, which shows that it meets federal safety standards.

• Know your bike's limits. • Stick to the speed limit. • Don't tailgate other vehicles. • Use your signals. • If group riding ride with spacing and

staggered. Leave room to maneuver. • Be respectful of other drivers. Don't weave

through traffic or drive on the shoulder. • Make sure other drivers can see you. Don't

ride in blind spots and always use your headlights.

• Brake smart. Use both brakes at the same time, slow and steady.

Paul French MWRC Safety Officer,

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SUMMER 2015

CHAPTER DUES

As always, chapter dues are due. In order to remain a chapter in good standing within the conference, each chapter must pay dues of one dollar per member up to twenty-five dollars. The dues are due on a yearly basis. The dues must be paid before a chapter will be allowed to vote at the business meeting of the MWRC.

Mail your conference dues to Conference Treasurer Tom Ashing at: Blue Knights MWRC, PO Box 890095, Oklahoma City, OK 73189.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS

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OKLAHOMA– I am sure this picture looks familiar for a lot of people that rode to and from the Spring MWRC held in Eagan, MN, at least if you were coming from the South. I am not sure if I have ever rode that long in the rain before, however family and friends were waiting at our destination so it made everything worthwhile. Our hat goes off to Minnesota IV for an excellent Spring Conference. It was first class and done right! Oklahoma IV took most of the riding awards at the banquet to include Youngest Rider, Longest Rider Solo, and Longest Riders (Two-Up). Congratulations to Oklahoma IV.

Congratulations to David Stone on his milestone of thirty-five years with the Blue Knights, all with Oklahoma I. One other thing to mention is, he has been to thirty-four International conventions! SOON TO BE THIRTY-FIVE!!!!

We would like to welcome back Oklahoma VIII and president Kevin Woods. Kevin has been instrumental in the reviving the chapter with members all around the Ardmore, Oklahoma area. We look forward to riding with them.

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Oklahoma I has really been busy the last few months. They recently participated in the 14th Annual Rumble & Roll for Make a Wish Oklahoma in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event raised over $20,000. Prior to that they assisted in traffic control for 67-mile long bicycle ride to support the Tulsa Police Memorial.

Dave McDermott – OK Rep

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MISSOURI - Well, here goes! Since my last article, Shelia and I attended the Winter Blahs Party in Minnesota and had a great time. We went to the International Motorcycle Show; it was neat seeing the new bikes and products, including the Slingshot and LiveWire. We didn't attend the Spring MWRC because we planned to attend the International in Reno. Now about the Reno trip, we traveled in one vehicle with Rick and Leisha McCrea, trailering the bikes, thus having more drivers. We had a good trip out, stopping at the Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats. What a sight that was! Once we got there and settled in, it was time to have fun! On Monday, I attended the General Membership Meeting. All I can say is it was four hours of nothing. Tuesday we rode to Virginia City, shopped, and rode the steam engine train, and shopped some more! Wednesday it started downhill for me! I had fallen at work the Monday before we left, with only a bad bruise the result. After riding Tuesday, I couldn't get out of bed Wednesday morning! No more riding for me! Disappointed to miss the ride to Lake Tahoe, but we will make another trip out there! It’s beautiful country to ride if you get the chance. I hobbled around the rest of the week, attended the banquet on Thursday night, great food and a funny comic for entertainment! The trip home was rough for me but we made it back safe. We will be at the fall MWRC in Des Moines in September. See you there!! Gary Reed - MO State Representative. NORTH DAKOTA - Riding season is in full swing and Chapter sponsored charity rides are just about finished. ND I sponsored the annual Roger Ready Memorial Ride the last Saturday in June. The rain made for an interesting ride, but the fellowship and food made the ride a memorable success.

ND II sponsors the Doug Lochrem Memorial Ride which is the last Saturday this July. I hope to attend this ride as well. ND II always puts on a good show and I’m looking forward to participating.

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Here’s to hoping all of your Chapter rides go well! See you in Des Moines in September!

Keith Schroeder - ND State Rep.

IOWA –

Representing the state of Iowa are Dave and Ruth Eyman (IA I) John and Tonya Stone (IA III), Rick and Maureen Fedson (IA III) Greetings from the International Convention in Reno, NV. Yesterday, we took a ride around Lake Tahoe that was supposed to end up in Virginia City for an old time train ride. It did for the Stones and Eyman’s, but Maureen and I ended up with an unexpected visit to the Harley dealerL I had a problem with the gas pressure line. It was a quick fix and I was back in the saddle in a couple hours. Missed the train and lunch, but all is well now. Thanks to Nevada II for getting a trailer out to me and Chesters Reno Harley Davidson for the quick service. Prior to our arrival in Reno, Stones and Fedsons made a four day stop in Moab, Utah. We rode around the Arches National Park and made a day trip to the Four Corners where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado meet in one place. The riding was great, the weather was iffy. They can produce some pretty intense thunderstorms this time of year. Iowa III is finishing up on the Fall 2015 MWRC in Des Moines, September 11-13.

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We are planning a ride on Friday morning for those of you that come in on Thursday night. We will leave the Holiday Inn and ride to the State of Iowa Police Memorial on the State Capitol grounds to commemorate 9-11, followed by a ride to the Polk County Freedom Rock in Bondurant. We will depart the hotel between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. We are selling tickets for a chance to win the Quilt at our conference. The drawing will be held on Saturday night at the banquet. The winner need not be present to win. Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. For those that register before our pre-registration deadline of August 17th, 2015, you will be entered in a drawing for two complimentary night’s stay on Friday and Saturday. So don’t wait till the last minute. That’s all for now, Rick Fedson – IA State Representative President Iowa III � KANSAS- Hello to all from Kansas. We are well into the riding season and often we get so wrapped up into riding we forget to remember to keep up with tire pressure, tire wear and fluid checks. These are safety checks we should do before riding off every time we head out on the road. So take that extra time to do so because we don’t want any of our brothers and sisters getting hurt out there. Kansas VIII just completed their annual Special Olympic Run, all went very well. Kansas VIII would like to wish all of you a safe summer and hope to visit with you all soon. RWP Darryl S. Hayes – KS State Representative Vice-President KS VIII

GRANDFATHERED BACKPATCH As Conference Officer’s, we are at times faced with enforcing Blue Knight International policies and rules that we may not totally agree with. One of the hot button issues of recent times has been the Grandfathered back patches. While you may think it would be easy for the MWRC Board to check and see which chapter back patch has been approved and which has not, it appears that it is not that easy to do. The Grandfathered back patch list at best is poor and at times non-existent. Each Conference Board has been given a task by International to compile a list of the Grandfathered back patches in their conferences. So… I need each of the chapters to do the following. If your chapter has a Grandfathered back patch, I need you to check your chapter records and see if you can find any information on when the back patch was approved by International. I also need you to send a photo (digital) of the back patch to MWRC Secretary Treasurer Tom Ashing. Your Chapter must complete this task prior to the Fall 2015 MWRC in Des Moines, Iowa. At the Fall Conference, the MWRC Board will compile the final list and send it off to International. If we do not have your photo and information on your Grandfathered back patch indicating that it is an approved back patch, you will no longer be allowed to wear it. In addition, International may take disciplinary action against you and your chapter if you continue to wear an unapproved back patch. In order for your chapters back patch to have been approved, it had to be approved by the International Office prior to July 15, 2003, so this means your chapter had to charter prior to that date. Also, if your chapter re-chartered after that date, you are no longer allowed to wear the Grandfathered back patch. If your chapter wears a different back patch than International’s, please!!! make sure you are allowed to wear it and that a photo and approval information has been sent to Tom Ashing.

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NE-II REPORT

Nebraska II hit the ground running in 2015. Several of our members attended an Omaha Lancers hockey game in late spring to help raise funds for charities that our chapter supports. Members were invited on the ice for a group photo and met several of the players. We also invited some other Law Enforcement motorcycle clubs. We were able to recruit two new members that felt they were a better fit for our organization. We welcomed these two members and they have been very proactive with our Chapter since joining.

NE II also participated in the 2015 Nebraska Law Ride, with approximately 20 members riding to support the Nebraska Law Enforcement Fallen Officers Memorial. On May 20, 2015 an Omaha Police Officer was killed in the line of duty while serving a felony search warrant, a day before she was scheduled to start a delayed maternity leave.

Det. Kerrie Orozco was an outstanding officer and community leader, working with youths in Omaha’s most troubled areas. She leaves behind a husband, two-step children and a new born baby that was born premature in February.

Several NE II members participated in the funeral, performing casket guard, honor guard duty, and attending the funeral. Several members also rode with the Patriot Guard, who allowed us the honor of leading the procession. We’d like to thank the members from Nebraska I and Minnesota I and any other Blue Knights Chapters that came to show their support.

(Officer Corey Clements left. NE II Vice President)

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In June, Nebraska II also hosted the Big Dam River Run in support of Madonna School for Exceptional Children. The ride took us from Omaha, Nebraska to Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, South Dakota. There, we were treated to a lunch supplied by Arby’s, followed by a raffle. The event helped raise over $2,000 in support of the Madonna School. Several members braved the wet weather and ventured into Minnesota for the Spring MWRC. During the business meeting, Paul Briese, NE II Chapter President, requested to host the 2016 Fall MWRC in Omaha, NE. The request was voted on and unanimously approved by voting members. The committees are starting to be formed and locations scouted out. This will be NE II’s 20th anniversary as a chartered club of the Blue Knights and we intend to make this an event not soon forgotten. More information for the Fall 2016 Conference will be forthcoming in the MWRC Fall 2015 newsletter. As we head into the summer months, several members of NE II will take part in the activities of Sturgis 75. We wish them safe travels and if any other MWRC chapters are attending, please feel free to flag them down and buy them a drink.

August 27th and 28th, NE II Chapter will be presenting the 3rd Annual River City Police Motor Skills Training and Competition, hosted by Dillon Brothers Motorsports. For the past two years, NE II members were in charge of officiating and providing the DJ for the competition. This year, NE II has decided to step it up and create an event that will be fun for the whole family. Although only active Police Officers may take part in the competition portion of the event, there will be plenty of extra activities for the whole family to enjoy. NE II will offer an assortment of delicious foods, and there will be bounce houses onsite for the kids to enjoy. Local police will also be showing off department resources, which will include the Omaha Mounted Police and the Omaha Police Helicopter (Able One).

Thanks and remember Ride with Pride David Smith

Page 13: The Mid-Knight News · convention – June 16-24, 2016. The hotel is the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey and the rate is $129 per night. The registration is $110 but increases to $135

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As a Conference Officer, we are required from time to time to wear many different hats to make sure the conference runs smoothly. At times we may have to wear more than one hat at a time to get the job done. Here are a couple of photos of myself and Secretary / Treasurer Tom Ashing, wearing some of those many different hats.

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 11 - 13th 2015, Iowa III is hosting the Fall MWRC in Des Moines, IA.

June 10 – 12th 2016, Iowa VI is hosting the Spring MWRC is Keokuk, IA.

In September of 2016, Nebraska II will be hosting the Fall MWRC in Omaha, NE.

Information on the Fall 2015, as well as the Spring 2016 MWRC, is available on the MWRC Web-page. Information on the Fall 2016 will be available after the start of the Fall 2015 MWRC.

In Des Moines, we will accept bids for the Spring 2017 MWRC as well as the Fall 2017 MWRC.

On the International side, the 42nd International Convention will be hosted by PA V in Harrisburg, PA June 19 – 24th, 2016.

The 43rd International Convention will be hosted by WI VI in Milwaukee July 16 – 21st, 2017.