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independent news

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WIRELESS NEWS AGGREGATION
(With a little help from my friends.)

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FRIDAY — SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 — ISSUE NO. 574

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Paging and Wireless Messaging Home Page image Newsletter Archive image Carrier Directory image Recommended Products and Services
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Reference Papers Consulting Glossary of Terms Send an e-mail to Brad Dye

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Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging,

We are entering the fall season here in Southern Illinois. This is my favorite time of the year. I hope this issue finds you well.

THE SHELTON GANG

I have gone "off topic" at the end of this issue, with an article about some gangsters who pretty-much controlled the criminal activities in this state during prohibition. At least they controlled the area from Peoria—south to Cairo, Illinois.

North of Peoria was the territory belonging to the Chicago gangs, including the infamous Al Capone, and across the river—St. Louis, Missouri—was "out-of-bounds." There were other big gangs there.

I have been very interested in the Sheltons for most of my life. I can remember waking up at night—hearing bombs go off and machine gun fire, when I was a young boy.

I remember riding my bicycle up town one morning to see the building on the court house square where a Shelton gambling establishment had been dynamited the night before.

The Shelton family lived—back then—just about six miles from where I live now.

They were "nice folks" in this community. Carl Shelton—the leader of the gang—reportedly taught Sunday school in a country church near here and played the church organ. He had very few vices—didn't drink or swear—he just killed lots of people. There is a photo of his Colt revolver near the end of this issue.

At one time, he bought furniture in my father's furniture store. A funny family story, recounts the day my dad sent my uncle Don Hanks out to Carl's home in Pond Creek, to collect some money he owed my dad for furniture. Carl admitted that he owed the money and promised to come into town and pay—which he did a couple of days later. I jokingly said to my uncle, "I always thought my dad liked you!"

His brother Bernie, however, was a brutal thug, and a regular drinker and womanizer at the local Elk's Club. My mother told me stories about him.

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Check Out This Video

And then be amazed in light of Apple selling nine million new smartphones in the first three days of its launch last week. Incredible but true.

This reminds me of a famous quotation from Alexander Graham Bell, "Someday there will be a telephone in every city."

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Now on to more wireless news.

Wayne County, Illinois Weather

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Wireless Messaging News
  • Emergency Radio Communications
  • Wireless Messaging
  • Critical Messaging
  • Telemetry
  • Paging
  • WiMAX
  • Wi-Fi
WIRELESS
wireless logo medium
MESSAGING

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About Us

A new issue of the Wireless Messaging Newsletter is posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the web. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account.

There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Messaging companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers — so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.

I regularly get readers' comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Messaging communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it.

I spend the whole week searching the Internet for news that I think may be of interest to you — so you won't have to. This newsletter is an aggregator — a service that aggregates news from other news sources. You can help our community by sharing any interesting news that you find.

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Editorial Policy

Editorial Opinion pieces present only the opinions of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any of advertisers or supporters. This newsletter is independent of any trade association.

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Back To Paging

pagerman
Still The Most Reliable Wireless Protocol For Emergencies!

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Subscriptions

* required field.

If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter just fill in the blanks in the form above, and then click on “Subscribe.”

free There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.

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Newsletter Advertising

advertise here

If you are reading this, your potential customers are probably reading it as well. Please click here to find out how.

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CAN YOU HELP THE NEWSLETTER?

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You can help support the Wireless Messaging News by clicking on the PayPal Donate button above.

Voluntary Reader Support

Newspapers generally cost 75¢ $1.50 a copy and they hardly ever mention paging or wireless messaging. If you receive some benefit from this publication maybe you would like to help support it financially? A donation of $50.00 would certainly help cover a one-year paid subscription. If you are wiling and able, please click on the PayPal Donate button above. Any amount will be sincerely appreciated.

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Wireless Messaging News

made on a mac

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ADVERTISERS SUPPORTING THE NEWSLETTER

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Please Support Our Advertisers
They Make This Newsletter Possible

Advertiser Index

American Messaging
Critical Alert Systems
Critical Response Systems
Easy Solutions
Hahntech USA
Hark Technologies
Ira Wiesenfeld & Associates
Ivycorp
Leavitt Communications
Preferred Wireless
Prism Paging
Product Support Services — (PSSI)
Paging & Wireless Network Planners LLC — (Ron Mercer)
Specialty Answering Service
STI Engineering
WiPath Communications

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CRITICAL RESPONSE SYSTEMS

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Over 70% of first responders are volunteers.
Without an alert, interoperability means nothing.

Get the Alert.

M1501 Acknowledgent Pager

With the M1501 Acknowledgement Pager and a SPARKGAP wireless data system, you know when your volunteers have been alerted, when they've read the message, and how they're going to respond — all in the first minutes of an event. Only the M1501 delivers what agencies need — reliable, rugged, secure alerting with acknowledgement.

Learn More

FEATURES
  • 5-Second Message Delivery
  • Acknowledged Personal Messaging
  • Acknowledged Group Messaging
  • 16 Group Addresses
  • 128-Bit Encryption
  • Network-Synchronized Time Display
  • Simple User Interface
  • Programming/Charging Base
  • Secondary Features Supporting Public Safety and Healthcare

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Telephone: 918-814-8142
Tulsa, Oklahoma

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This is a commercial message from Solavei, LLC

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In another blow, Blackberry suspends Messenger rollout for iPhone, Android

Unreleased version of Android app 'caused issues'

By Matt Hamblen
September 23, 2013 11:46 AM ET

Computerworld — BlackBerry suspended the initial rollout of BlackBerry Messenger to iPhone and Android over the weekend following a horrific week of news for the Canadian phone maker, which plans to cut 4,500 workers and take a second-quarter loss of nearly $1 billion.

The rollout has been halted since Saturday, when an unreleased version of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for the Android operating system was posted online and "caused issues," which Blackberry has been working around the clock to fix, according to a post on Inside BlackBerry , the official BlackBerry blog. The suspension remained in effect as of 10 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, a BlackBerry spokeswoman confirmed. BlackBerry also has been offering updates about the issue on Twitter .

The problems with the unreleased Android app didn't affect BBM for iPhone , and those users will be able to continue to use BBM, although new BBM for iPhone downloads have been suspended. BlackBerry promised a staggered rollout of BBM for Android by country and said it will resume the rollout of BBM for iPhone "as soon as we are able." BBM for BlackBerry is unaffected.

BlackBerry said the unreleased Android app was disabled.

According to various reports, including one in the U.K. news site The Telegraph that quoted security expert Graham Cluley , BlackBerry may have been overwhelmed by the number of users trying to connect to BBM servers over the weekend. Cluley noted that multiple BBM apps appeared on Google Play posing as official releases when they were not.

BBM has about 60 million monthly active customers on BlackBerry devices. BlackBerry said an "incredible" amount of interest in the Android version led to more than 1 million downloads of the unreleased app within the first eight hours it was available online.

After weeks of rumors about job cuts, BlackBerry on Friday announced that it planned to lay off 4,500 of its more than 12,000 employees and write down an excess of Z10 smartphones it failed to sell. The results for the July to September quarter will reflect nearly $1 billion in losses , with sales of $1.6 billion — about 45% lower than the same quarter in 2012.

BBM has been a bright spot for BlackBerry, but suspending the Android and iPhone apps is another blow on top of the company's bad financial news. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company in August said it had formed a special committee to explore a sale of the company or parts of the business. It isn't clear what would happen to BBM support if parts of the company were sold off.

Friday's announcement of layoffs "was a sad day for BlackBerry," said Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates. "Sales were down almost 50% from expectations and that's really bad news," he said. "It's going to be very difficult for them to recover from this spiral . . . BlackBerry is in a very dire situation."

This article, " In Another Blow, Blackberry Suspends Messenger Rollout for iPhone, Android ," was originally published on Computerworld.com .

Source: Computerworld

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STI Engineering

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sti header
 

250W VHF Paging Transmitter

STI Engineering is delighted to announce the release of the RFI-148 250 high performance paging transmitter. The transmitter features true DDS frequency generation that enables precise control and flexibility for a wide range of data transmission applications.

The transmitter is particularly suitable for large simulcast POCSAG and FLEX paging networks and can be used as drop-in replacement of older and obsolete transmitters.

sti tx
  • High power output
    (selectable from 20 W - 250 W)
  • SNMP Diagnostics and alarms
  • Full VHF Band coverage
    (138-174 MHz)
  • DSP precision modulation
  • Integrated isolator
  • Sniffer port for in-rack receiver
  • Remote firmware upgrade capability
  • Software selectable frequency offset
  • Adjustable absolute delay correction
  • Front panel diagnostics
  • Hardware alarm outputs
  • High frequency stability
  • External reference option
  • FCC and ACMA approved
  • CE compliant version in development
sti logo sm22 Boulder Road Malaga 6090 Western Australia
Telephone:  +61 8 9209 0900
Email:   sales@stiengineering.com.au
Facsimile:  +61 8 9248 2833
Web:  www.stiengineering.com.au

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iPhone 5s, 5c rack up 9 million sales, 200 million users update to iOS 7

Dan Moren
@dmoren Sep 23, 2013 6:35 AM
Macworld

Speculation about poor iPhone sales appears to have been just that—speculation. Apple on Monday announced the figures for the first weekend of sales for its latest smartphones: The company racked up 9 million in the three days after launch , which Apple says is a new record.

That 9 million includes sales of both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s; as is its wont, Apple doesn't break out sales of individual models within its product lines. However, customers looking for an iPhone 5s may be out of luck for the moment: Tim Cook said that the company had sold out of its initial stock for the high-end smartphone, which was not available for pre-order, though the iPhone 5c was.

But, if anything, twice the number of iPhone models has helped Apple rack up nearly twice as many sales: Last year, the company reported just 5 million sales of the iPhone 5 on its opening weekend; two years ago, the iPhone 4s brought in just 4 million sales .

Apple also gave some figures on iOS 7 adoption: 200 million iOS devices have already been updated to the latest version of the mobile operating system . Earlier this month, Tim Cook said that Apple would ship the 700 millionth iOS device in October, so almost 30 percent of iOS devices out there are already running iOS 7. That number compares favorably with last year, when 100 million users upgraded to iOS 6 in the first weekend; in 2011, just 25 million users made the switch to iOS 5.

Finally, the company also dished a little on the new iTunes Radio feature of iOS 7, saying that 11 million unique listeners had tuned into the streaming service; the most listened to song is "Hold On, We're Going Home" by Drake. So, there's that.

While much has been made of Apple's so-called "lack of innovation," it's clear that customers are pretty happy with the latest improvements to Apple's smartphones. The company announces its financial results for the current quarter in about a month; we'll see then just how well the iPhone is doing.

Source: Macworld

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       CHECK THIS OUT

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Apple Fixes iOS 7 Bug; Google Revamps Search; Gates Calls Ctrl+Alt+Del a 'Mistake'

By Angela Moscaritolo
September 27, 2013 09:46am EST
PC Magazine

Topping tech headlines on Thursday, Google celebrated its 15-year anniversary by returning to its Menlo Park roots, where it revealed an updated algorithm , dubbed Hummingbird, that affects 90 percent of global searches.

Launched about a month ago, Hummingbird is aimed at better answering the long, complex queries that Google receives. "Hummingbird pays more attention to each word in the query, ensuring the whole query is taken into account — so if a resulting page is a bit less strong in general, but it's the most relevant to your search terms, that's the result you'll get," a Google said.

Meanwhile, Apple released an update to its iOS 7 operating system that fixes a bug that allowed hackers to bypass a user's lock screen. The 21MB download "fixes bugs that could allow someone to bypass the lock screen passcode," according to the software update description.

Also making headlines, Bill Gates recently admitted that the familiar "Control+Alt+Delete" command was a "mistake." During a far-reaching discussion at Harvard on Sept. 21, Gates was questioned about why the architects of the PC decided to go with the Control+Alt+Delete command. He said the decision was actually made by IBM.

Source: PC Magazine

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leavitt

Specialists in sales and service of equipment from these leading manufacturers, as well as other two-way radio and paging products:

UNICATIONbendix king
ZETRON

motorola blue Motorola SOLUTIONS

COMmotorola red Motorola MOBILITY spacer
Philip C. Leavitt
Manager
Leavitt Communications
7508 N. Red Ledge Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail: pcleavitt@leavittcom.com
Web Site: www.leavittcom.com
Mobile phone:847-494-0000
Telephone:847-955-0511
Fax:270-447-1909
Skype ID:pcleavitt

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UK Government to Test Sending Emergency Alerts to Mobile Phones

September 23, 2013
HispanicBusiness.com

The UK government is to carry out tests of an emergency alert service that can broadcast messages to mobile phones.

Three tests in specific parts of Yorkshire, Suffolk and Glasgow are intended to test how various alerting technologies work and the public's reaction to them, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude announced.

Francis Maude said that the government and three of the four main mobile phone companies O2, Vodafone and EE, will conduct separate tests later this year to look at a how different technologies work and how the public react when they receive an emergency alert to their phone.

Messages will be sent to mobile phones in the test areas by SMS in parts of Suffolk and Glasgow, and by SMS and Cell Broadcasting in parts of Yorkshire.

In total approximately 50,000 people across the 3 areas may receive the messages.

'Cell broadcast' is the transmission of a text-type message to a defined geographic area. The mobile phone network is split into 'cells' with a mast at the centre, these range in size depending where you are in the country. During cell broadcasting, cells can be selected and a message broadcast to every active handset within it.

Cell broadcast operates on a different channel to voice and SMS (texts) and therefore does not suffer from nor contribute to network congestion. Personal data such as telephone numbers or user data are not required as the message is sent to all handsets in the area.

The ability to warn and inform the public when responding to the wide range of disruptive challenges the UK faces is a key component of any response. This is reflected in the inclusion in the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) of a statutory duty for category 1 responders to maintain arrangements to warn and inform the public in times of emergency. The Strategic Defense and Security Review (2010) set out the government's commitment to 'evaluate options for an improved public alert system.' The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) have since been working to understand where the current gaps in the UK's alerting capability are and how they can be addressed in order to fulfill this commitment.

Source: HispanicBusiness.com

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Specialty Answering Service

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Why Should You Choose Specialty Answering Service?

Specialty Answering Service is one of the most trusted call center service-providers in the industry. We have combined an amazing business answering service with a passion for technology and customer service to develop an essential solution for any company looking to stay ahead in our “on demand” world. Your customers want information and answers now. Are you ready to help them? We are!

We are able to integrate with any paging or messaging service that our clients already subscribe to.

Phone: 888-532-4794
Fax: 888-644-4129
E-mail   left arrow Web   left arrow Support   left arrow

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Specialty Answering Service

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American Messaging

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amsi

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American Messaging

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Easy Solutions

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easy solutions

Easy Solutions provides cost effective computer and wireless solutions at affordable prices. We can help in most any situation with your communications systems. We have many years of experience and a vast network of resources to support the industry, your system and an ever changing completive landscape.

  • We treat our customers like family. We don't just fix problems...
    • We recommend and implement better cost effective solutions.
  • We are not just another vendor — We are a part of your team.
    • All the advantages of high priced full time employment without the cost.
  • We are not in the Technical Services business...
    • We are in the Customer Satisfaction business.

Experts in Paging Infrastructure
Glenayre, Motorola, Unipage, etc.
Excellent Service Contracts
Full Service—Beyond Factory Support
Contracts for Glenayre and other Systems starting at $100
Making systems More Reliable and MORE PROFITABLE for over 28 years.

Please see our web site for exciting solutions designed specifically for the Wireless Industry. We also maintain a diagnostic lab and provide important repair and replacement parts services for Motorola and Glenayre equipment. Call or e-mail us for more information.

Easy Solutions
3220 San Simeon Way
Plano, Texas 75023

Vaughan Bowden
Telephone: 972-898-1119
Website: www.EasySolutions4You.com
E-mail: vaughan@easysolutions4you.com

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Easy Solutions

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Product Support Services, Inc.

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Wireless and Cellular Repair — Pagers, Coasters, Handsets, Infrastructure and other Electronics

pssi logo

pssi

repairmanrepairman

Product Support Services, Inc.

511 South Royal Lane
Coppell, Texas 75019
(972) 462-3970 Ext. 261
sales@pssirl.com left arrow
www.pssirl.com left arrow

PSSI is the industry leader in reverse logistics, our services include depot repair, product returns management, RMA and RTV management, product audit, test, refurbishment, re-kitting and value recovery.

PSSI Offers Customers —

  • Centralized Returns and Repair Services at our 125,000 Sq. Ft. Facility, in a Triple Free Port Zone, 3 Miles North of DFW Airport.
  • Experience, PSSI repairs 5,000 units a day and has capacity for more.
  • ISO9001:2008 Certified Operation, with integrated Lean Manufacturing processes and systems for best-in class performance and turn-times.
  • Authorized Service Center for Level I, II and III Repair by a wide variety of OEMs including LG, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia and others.
  • State-of-the-art facility for multiple wireless test environments, including infrastructure and board-level test and repair capabilities.
  • Serialized Tracking through PSSI's proprietary Work-In-Process (WIP) and shop floor management system PSS.Net. This system allows PSSI to track each product received by employee, work center, lot, model, work order, serial number and location, tracking parts allocated, service, repair and refurbishment actions through each stage of the reverse logistics process. Access to order status and repair reports can be transmitted electronically in formats like FTP, EDI, API, XML or CSV.
  • Expertise, PSSI's executive team has 125+ years of industry experience.

 

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LEAVITT Communications

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its stil here

It's still here — the tried and true Motorola Alphamate 250. Now owned, supported, and available from Leavitt Communications. Call us for new or reconditioned units, parts, manuals, and repairs.

We also offer refurbished Alphamate 250's, Alphamate IIs, the original Alphamate and new and refurbished pagers, pager repairs, pager parts and accessories. We are FULL SERVICE in Paging!

E-mail Phil Leavitt ( pcleavitt@leavittcom.com ) for pricing and delivery information or for a list of other available paging and two-way related equipment.

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Phil Leavitt
847-955-0511
pcleavitt@leavittcom.com

leavitt logo

7508 N. Red Ledge Drive
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253
www.leavittcom.com

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Consulting Alliance

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Brad Dye, Ron Mercer, Allan Angus, Vic Jackson, and Ira Wiesenfeld are friends and colleagues who work both together and independently, on wireline and wireless communications projects. Click here left arrow for a summary of their qualifications and experience. Each one has unique abilities. We would be happy to help you with a project, and maybe save you some time and money.

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Consulting Alliance

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advertise

 

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HahntechUSA

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HahntechUSA

Telemetry solution

Easy Application & Better Performance

 

NPCS Telemetry Modem

BLUE LINE

(ReFLEX 2.7.5)

telemetry

finger

E-mail: sales@hahntechUSA.com

Website: hahntechUSA.com

 

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HahntechUSA

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Preferred Wireless

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preferred logo

Terminals & Controllers:
1Motorola ASC1500
2GL3100 RF Director 
45SkyData 8466 B Receivers
6Skydata 8466 A Receivers
1GL3000L Complete w/Spares
2GL3000ES Chassis, can configure
1Zetron 2200 Terminals
1Unipage—Many Unipage Cards & Chassis
Link Transmitters:
 QT-5701,35W,  UHF, Link Transmitter
4Glenayre QT4201 & 6201, 25 & 100W Midband Link TX
2Glenayre QT6201 Link Repeater and Link Station in Hot Standby
1Glenayre QT6994, 150W, 900 MHz Link TX
3Motorola 10W, 900 MHz Link TX (C35JZB6106)
1Motorola 30W, Midband Link TX (C42JZB6106AC)
2Eagle 900 MHz Link Transmitters, 60 & 80W
5Glenayre GL C2100 Link Repeaters
2Motorola Q2630A, 30W, UHF Link TX
VHF Paging Transmitters
1Glenayre QT7505
1Glenayre QT8505
12Motorola VHF 350W Nucleus NAC Transmitters
9Motorola VHF 350W Nucleus C-Net Transmitters
3Motorola PURC-5000, VHF, 350W, ACB Control 
UHF Paging Transmitters:
20Glenayre UHF GLT5340, 125W, DSP Exciter
3Motorola PURC-5000 110W ACB Transmitters
900 MHz Paging Transmitters:
3Glenayre GLT 8600, 500W
2Glenayre GLT8200, 25W
15Glenayre GLT-8500 250W
40Motorola Nucleus 900MHz 300W CNET Transmitters
9Motorola PURC 5000 300W, 900MHz ACB Control

SEE WEB FOR COMPLETE LIST:

www.preferredwireless.com/equipment left arrow

Too Much To List • Call or E-Mail

Rick McMichael
Preferred Wireless, Inc.
10658 St. Charles Rock Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63074
888-429-4171 or 314-429-3000
rickm@preferredwireless.com left arrow

preferred

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Preferred Wireless

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critical alert CA Partner’s Program
 

Providing better communications solutions to hospitals across the country — together!

For CAS, strong partnerships remain key to providing our software-based communications solutions to our customers. These solutions include:

ca dr and nurse
nurse call systemscritical messaging solutionsmobile health applications

We provide the communication, training and resources required to become a CA partner. In turn, our partners provide customers with the highest levels of local service & support. CA Partners may come from any number of business sectors, including:

  • Service Providers
  • System Integrators
  • Value Added Resellers and Distributors
  • Expert Contractors
If you would like to hear more about our CA Partners program, we’d love to hear from you. criticalalert.com

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Selected portions of the BloostonLaw Telecom Update, and/or the BloostonLaw Private Users Update —newsletters from the Law Offices of Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy & Prendergast, LLP are reproduced in this section with the firm's permission.

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BloostonLaw Telecom Update Vol. 16, No. 34 September 25, 2013

Headlines

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Shootings Demonstrate Interoperability Lacking Between State/Local and Federal First Responders

Following the 1982 Air Florida plane crash into the Potomac River, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) recognized the need for interoperable communications between the various federal, state and local jurisdictions in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. By the late-1990s, several of the COG jurisdictions were well on the way to an interoperable communications solution using 800 MHz frequencies. Today, most local governments in the National Capital Region are on the 800 MHz system and first responders are able to communicate with one another on major incidents. However, the shootings at the Washington Navy Yard brought out one aspect that seemingly has not been addressed effectively — namely interoperability between state/local and federal first responders.

News reports coming out of the Navy Yard shooting have indicated that some of the interoperability issues resulted from Washington, DC's recent conversion to a digital communications system while responding federal agencies were still using analog equipment. As a result, the federal agencies (FBI, US Navy, NCIS, Capitol Police, US Park Police, etc.) and the DC Police and Fire were unable to communicate with each other effectively. Additionally, there are also reports of equipment failures involving Navy police radios as well as equipment assigned to first responders with the DC police and fire departments.

In a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the FCC, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif), Energy and Commerce Committee Member and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif) directed these agencies to investigate the Navy Yard communications failures and ensure that FirstNet (which was established by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 in order to create a seamless, nationwide broadband public safety communications system) is able to address the communications failures. Beyond the lack of interoperability between DC and federal first responders, the Congressional letter also indicated there had been issues including inadequate indoor coverage, radio interference caused by fire alarms, and the inability to communicate with non-Navy first responder radio systems — all of which were known issues well before the Navy Yard shooting. Reps. Waxman and Eshoo have requested that information be provided to FirstNet so that any problems identified at the Navy Yard can be addressed in the FirstNet system design.

Former FCC Economist Points to Risks if Incentive Auction Bid Restrictions are Imposed

A former FCC Chief Economist and Duke Business School Professor has concluded that restricting Verizon and AT&T's participation in the FCC's upcoming broadcast incentive auction will "put at risk [the Commission's] twin priorities of raising significant revenue and reallocating a substantial amount of spectrum from broadcast to mobile wireless services."

Not surprisingly, these and related conclusions are contained in a 45-page report prepared by Leslie Marx, PhD and included in a September 18 ex parte filing by Verizon in the FCC's incentive auction docket (GN Docket No. 12-268).

The report further asserts that "any restriction that causes a material reduction in the participation of Verizon and AT&T risks a significant reduction in auction revenue and a failure of the auction."

Professor Marx's report is the latest salvo in an ongoing "battle of economists" that is taking place in the incentive auction docket. Economists hired by Sprint and T-Mobile have previously asserted that restricting auction participation by larger bidders might encourage smaller companies to participate more robustly. March 2013 Reply Comments of T-Mobile support a cap on spectrum below 1 GHz that any one carrier or its affiliates may hold, and urge the FCC to reject Verizon and AT&T's objections such a spectrum cap.

The FCC is expected to reach a decision on the Incentive Auction rules by the end of the year.

Tenth Circuit Denies FCC Motion to Change Oral Argument Framework

On September 18, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a motion filed by the FCC to reconsider the oral argument framework for the appeal of the USF/ICC Reform Order. If the FCC request had been granted, the current November 19, 2013 date for oral argument may have been pushed back, delaying any potential relief for rural ILECs.

In its motion, filed on the 17th, the FCC argued that the current framework did not provide it with sufficient time to prepare. Under the current framework, the petitioners are free to decide which arguments will be heard and how much time (within limits) will be allotted to each, and need not inform the FCC of their decisions until November 1, 2013, a little less than three weeks before the oral argument hearing.

In (swiftly) denying the motion, the court said, "the specific issues of concern to the petitioners have been known to the FCC since as long ago as December 2012," recognizing that, "the petitioners are faced with the formidable task of determining the time allocations in the first instance, and they oppose moving up the date by which that task must be completed, the petitioners oppose moving up the date by which they must determine the issues and time allocations for oral argument."

Given the breakneck-pace the FCC set in releasing the USF/ICC Reform Order—one of the points on appeal in this proceeding—the FCC's delay request is somewhat ironic.

Law & Regulation

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FCC Approves AT&T Acquisition of ATNI / Allied Wireless Assets

The FCC last Friday conditionally approved AT&T's proposed acquisition of the U.S. retail wireless operations of Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc (ATNI). Under the terms of the deal, AT&T will pay $780 million in cash to acquire ATNI's wireless properties, including licenses, network assets, retail stores and approximately 585,000 subscribers. ATNI holds these assets through a subsidiary company, Allied Wireless Communications Corporation ("Allied"). Allied's business was created in 2008 from licenses divested in connection with the FCC and Justice Department's conditional clearance of Verizon's $28 billion purchase of Alltel.

Allied operates under the Alltel name in the U.S., and its network covers approximately 4.6 million people in primarily rural areas across six states — Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina. The acquisition includes spectrum in the 700 MHz, 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. Allied currently operates a retail CDMA network for its subscribers in these areas, and AT&T plans to transition ATNI's customers to 3G HSPA+ and 4G LTE technology.

The FCC's ruling ( DA 13-1940 ) found that limited competition and other public harms of the transaction in certain markets were mitigated by AT&T commitments on network deployment, roaming and customer transition.

AT&T will continue to provide CDMA voice/data roaming services over ATNI's facilities. AT&T has indicated it will offer Allied post-paid customers handsets comparable to their existing devices without charge and without requiring a contract extension. AT&T is obligated to file quarterly progress reports on the implementation of commitments over the next three years or until the conditions are fulfilled to the agency's satisfaction.

FCC Releases Agenda for September Open Meeting

On September 19, 2013, The FCC issued the final agenda for its September 26, 2013 Open Meeting. The final agenda appears to have one new item since we reported on the tentative agenda on September 11, 2013: an NPRM that seeks comment on proposals to improve consumer choice and facilitate improvements to the resiliency of mobile wireless networks during emergencies, no doubt in response to continuing reverberations from Superstorm Sandy and other recent catastrophes.

In addition to that NPRM, the FCC will also consider an NPRM to accelerate deployment of wireless infrastructure; an NPRM on the UHF discount to its national television multiple ownership rule; and an Order to resolve a complaint by Bloomberg L.P. that Comcast violated the news neighborhooding condition of the Comcast/NBCU transaction. The Media Bureau will present an update on progress towards the October 15 – October 29, 2013 open filing window for applicants seeking to operate new Low Power FM radio stations.

Audio/Video coverage of the meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC Live web page at www.fcc.gov/live .

FAA to Consider Wireless Device Rules; Cell Phone Use to Remain Out of the Mix

The long-standing rule that all personal electronic devices must be turned off during take-off and landing is about to be changed, especially since flight crews are now using Apple iPads in the cockpit rather than paper charts and check lists. The current electronics restriction is an outgrowth of a rule first adopted in the 1950s when it was determined that portable FM radios could cause interference with VOR navigation systems.

Several news outlets are reporting that an FAA advisory panel is expected to meet this week and recommend that the FAA approve a single policy for the use of personal electronic devices gate-to-gate that would apply to all airlines and aircraft rather than specific wireless devices. Under this model, airlines would be required to certify that their aircraft could "tolerate" electronic device use. Rather than proposing the certification of specific devices, the FAA panel is proposing that the FAA require the certification of all airlines and aircraft. The panel believes that once the airlines have taken this action, which is similar to the process used to certify aircraft for the use of Wi-Fi, wireless devices could be in use as early as next year. Aviation experts contend that the likelihood of interference from personal electronic devices to avionics systems aboard aircraft is extremely unlikely due to their relatively low power. Additionally, studies by the Airline Passenger Experience Association and the Consumer Electronics Association found that as much as 30 percent of passengers indicated that personal wireless devices, including cell phones, were left on during take-off and landing. And, to date, there is no known link to an aviation accident from a modern personal electronic device.

Because of the potential for interference to ground based wireless communications, the FCC's rules will continue to prohibit airline passengers from making cellular calls or checking e-mail over a cellular network while the airplane is in-flight.

House Hearing on Challenges and Opportunities in the 5 GHz Spectrum Band

The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology has announced a hearing, titled "Challenges and Opportunities in the 5 GHz Spectrum Band" to be held on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building.

At this time, a list of witnesses is not available, but will be announced by the Subcommittee on its website .

Industry

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Chairman Rockefeller Calls on Motorola to Cease Campaign to Undermine FirstNet

Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, is deeply concerned by reports that Motorola Solutions is engaging in efforts to undermine FirstNet, the nationwide, interoperable wireless public safety broadband communications system. Senator Rockefeller authored the legislation creating FirstNet, which was signed into law last year. The creation of FirstNet fulfills one of the final recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

In a September 20, 2013 letter to Motorola Solutions CEO Gregory Brown, Senator Rockefeller points to recent news reports that have suggested Motorola and its paid consultants have engaged in behind-the-scenes activities to undermine FirstNet. Rockefeller also calls on Motorola Solutions to work constructively with FirstNet to bring more competition to public safety communications "Your company's actions to oppose this important effort to strengthen our Nation's public safety communications systems directly contradicts the intent of Congress, and it potentially endangers the success of a network that will benefit millions of law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders," Rockefeller wrote.

Rockefeller added, "I will not abide a return to the model of costly, and often proprietary, equipment that our nation's first responders face in narrowband communications. This model has led to disparate systems even among public safety agencies in the same jurisdiction. And I will not stand by while your company continues to defend a business plan solely because you are unwilling to make the investments and commitments necessary to be a true competitor on the new level playing field for public safety communications equipment.

"I urge you to immediately cease your campaign and to work constructively with the FirstNet board. I urge your company—under its own letterhead—to compete head-to-head with other vendors to provide the best equipment for FirstNet and our nation's first responders."

Motorola would not comment directly on the allegations about the campaign, but in a statement reiterated its support for FirstNet:

"The need for a nationwide public safety network has been communicated to Motorola by its customers for many years on behalf of the millions of citizens they are entrusted to protect and serve," the company said. "We have not only listened, but appreciate and share their views. Moreover, we're pleased to join them and dozens of public-safety organizations to support FirstNet. It should be noted that Motorola was a strong supporter of the legislation that created FirstNet, and the company believes the law that established FirstNet should be implemented to give all public safety end-users fair and reasonable access to this critical resource. Again, our objective is to help make FirstNet a success and enable local first responders to do their jobs more safely and effectively."

In his letter, Senator Rockefeller acknowledged Motorola's public support of FirstNet, but said the company's private actions tell another story. He said the stories indicated that Motorola is financing a public relations and lobbying campaign to erode support for FirstNet.

Motorola Solutions should not be confused with phone maker Motorola Mobility, which was acquired by Google in 2011.

ITU Broadband Report Ranks US 24th in Global Internet Usage

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Broadband Commission released a report discussing the universalization of broadband and its growth across the globe.

According to the report, the United States ranks 24th globally in terms of percentage of individuals using the Internet in 2012 with 81%. The No. 1 economy was Iceland, with 96%, followed closely by Norway (95%), Sweden (94%), Denmark (93%) and the Netherlands (93%).

The report also makes a number of policy recommendations to maximize the impact of broadband, including:

  • competitive regulation — "Competition has been a key driver of higher levels of uptake and investment in communication networks and services in many countries.";
  • legal certainty — "Countries need to update their legislative and regulatory frameworks to provide businesses and users with legal certainty and allow for expanded electronic commerce, as well as the proper protection of personal data, copyright, rights in user-generated content, and other issues", and
  • expanded universal service funds — "USFs can be expanded to include programmes for broadband adoption, containing all the elements needed to get unserved or underserved people online, including content, subscriptions, devices, and digital training, as well as infrastructure."

The report also discusses a number of broadband-related topics, including the growing demand for mobile spectrum, universal broadband policy, trends in expression via content.

A full copy of the report can be found here .

Calendar At A Glance

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Sept. 26 – FCC Open Meeting
Sept. 27 – Challenges to FCC Census Blocks that price cap carriers have requested funding to serve as part of the second round of CAF Phase I are due.
Oct. 7 – Comments on proposed changes to FCC Form 555 (annual Lifeline ETC certification) are due.
Oct. 8 – Electronic filing deadline for Form 497 for carriers seeking support for the preceding month and wishing to receive reimbursement by month's end.
Oct. 14 – Deadline to seek extension of CALM Act small provider grace period.
Oct. 15 – Filing deadline for FCC Form 481
Oct. 16 – Reply Comments are due on FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on E-Rate 2.0.
Oct. 16 – Reply Comments are due on FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Advanced Wireless Services.
Oct. 17 – Comments are due on NECA's 2014 Modification of the Average Schedule Universal Service High-Cost Loop Support Formula.
Oct. 28 – Responses to FCC Census Blocks that price cap carriers have requested funding to serve as part of the second round of CAF Phase I are due.
Nov. 1 – Reply Comments are due on FCC's guidelines for human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields.
Nov. 1 – Reply comments are due on NECA's 2014 Modification of the Average Schedule Universal Service High-Cost Loop Support Formula.
Nov. 4 – Comments on the continuation of the BroadbandMatch website tool are due.
Nov. 8 – Electronic filing deadline for Form 497 for carriers seeking support for the preceding month and wishing to receive reimbursement by month's end.

This newsletter is not intended to provide legal advice. Those interested in more information should contact the firm. For additional information, please contact Hal Mordkofsky at 202-828-5520 or halmor@bloostonlaw.com .

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Twitter Alerts give new meaning to crisis communication

Caitlin McGarry
@Caitlin_McGarry
Sep 25, 2013 11:46 AM
TechHive

After offering to send you push notifications about must-read tweets and must-follow users on Tuesday, Twitter on Wednesday took a more serious approach to notifications.

Now you can sign up to receive alerts from accounts you follow. Not every tweet will be pushed to your phone, only ones the account marks as alerts. You don't have to have Twitter's iOS or Android apps to get the alerts, but if you do, they'll be sent as push notifications. If you don't have the apps, you'll get alerts as SMS texts. If you're scrolling through your stream, alert tweets will be marked with an orange bell.

Alerts are not designed for important life updates from friends. Twitter said in a Wednesday blog post that the system is limited to law enforcement and public safety agencies; emergency management agencies; city and municipal governments and their representatives; county and regional agencies; and state, federal, and national organizations, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency . A complete list of more than 100 participating agencies is available here. Organizations have to enroll in Twitter's alert program to send out alerts.


Subscribe for alerts on an agency's Twitter alerts page.

The program is opt-in, so you won't be automatically signed up for an account's alerts just because you follow them. Sign up for an account's alerts by going to twitter.com/ username /alerts. Replace username with the account name. Follow the directions to subscribe to alerts, as seen on the right.

For better or worse, people turn to Twitter during times of crisis to find out information (see: Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombings). Last year, Twitter began piloting an emergency alert system in Japan called Lifeline in partnership with the Prime Minister's Lifeline Commission. Twitter worked with local governments in Japan to find important Twitter accounts, or ones people would turn to in a crisis, and categorized them by postal code. Japanese Twitter users can access Lifeline accounts by searching for their postal code on twitter.com.


Alerts in your Twitter stream will be marked with an orange bell.

Twitter's new alerts are not quite the same as Lifeline, but could be just as useful during emergencies. The State Department's @TravelGov account plans to use Twitter's alerts to let people know when it's unsafe to travel to a country due to civil unrest or natural disasters. The @BostonPolice account tweeted information and safety alerts throughout the Boston Marathon bombing aftermath. People are already turning to Twitter for this information—now it's push instead of pull.

Source: TechHive

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PRISM PAGING

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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No letters to the editor this week.

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UNTIL NEXT WEEK

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With best regards,
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Newsletter Editor
73 DE K9IQY

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Brad Dye, Editor
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Fairfield, IL 62837 USA

 

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THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

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This is the book I am currently reading:

At Home in the World: A Memoir

September 3, 2013
by Joyce Maynard

When it was first published in 1998, At Home in the World set off a furor in the literary world and beyond. Joyce Maynard's memoir broke a silence concerning her relationship—at age eighteen—with J.D. Salinger, the famously reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye, then age fifty-three, who had read a story she wrote for The New York Times in her freshman year of college and sent her a letter that changed her life. Reviewers called her book "shameless" and "powerful" and its author was simultaneously reviled and cheered.

With what some have viewed as shocking honesty, Maynard explores her coming of age in an alcoholic family, her mother's dream to mold her into a writer, her self-imposed exile from the world of her peers when she left Yale to live with Salinger, and her struggle to reclaim her sense of self in the crushing aftermath of his dismissal of her not long after her nineteenth birthday. A quarter of a century later—having become a writer, survived the end of her marriage and the deaths of her parents, and with an eighteen-year-old daughter of her own—Maynard pays a visit to the man who broke her heart. The story she tells—of the girl she was and the woman she became—is at once devastating, inspiring, and triumphant.

Source: Amazon (To purchase the book.)
Meet Joyce Maynard   left arrow   (Video of her.)
Joyce Maynard recounts her affair with J.D. Salinger   left arrow   (Video of an interview.)

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ILLINOIS GANGSTER HISTORY

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Peoria and The Shelton Gang

April 2012
by Bernie Drake
Peoria Historical Society

The advent of Prohibition in 1920 saw the rise of "bootlegging" gangs throughout the United States, and in southern Illinois, three brothers—known as the Shelton Gang—dominated the illegal booze trade, and later, gambling, in Peoria.

Ben and Agnes Shelton lived just east of Fairfield in Wayne County, about 200 miles southeast of Peoria. Seven of their 10 children lived to adulthood. Carl, born in 1888, became the leader of the gang. Perhaps because he had an outgoing personality, he was able to pave the way with local leaders, gangsters and politicians—often with bribes. Earl, born two years later, was the organizer. During Prohibition, he coordinated the shipment of illegal booze from the South into southern Illinois, and after Prohibition, he ran many of the Sheltons' gambling clubs. Bernard (Bernie), born in 1899, was known for his temper and toughness. He became the gang's enforcer.

A Gambling Start
The Sheltons might never have had a presence in Peoria had it not been for a local gambling club operator named Clyde Garrison. An attempt was made to kidnap Garrison in 1930, possibly by the other gangs in an effort to take control of Peoria's gambling operations. He fought off the kidnappers, but during the fight, his wife was killed. Garrison decided he needed more muscle to protect his Peoria operations and approached the Sheltons to provide that protection. During the 1930s, the Sheltons had a good working relationship with Garrison, protecting his interests as well as those of other Peoria gamblers, but they did not interfere with his role as the local gambling kingpin. That relationship changed in 1940.

There is some controversy about what happened then. Taylor Pensoneau, in his 2002 book Brothers Notorious: The Sheltons, states, "The best that insiders could grasp in regard to this split was that Shelton (Carl) moved to join Garrison in the political power brokering end of the game. Since this was a strong suit of Garrison, he resisted. But not for long. Realizing he lacked the firepower to engage Shelton, Garrison exited the Peoria gambling scene and went into the wholesale liquor business. Carl, then in his early fifties, had the field to himself."

However, Bill Adams, a Peoria journalist, states in his 2005 book, The Shelton Gang: They Played in Peoria, that "a former city detective [unidentified] who was later on the Shelton payroll, recently said he saw it differently. Somewhere along the line, Woodruff [E.N. Woodruff, Peoria mayor] and Garrison must have had a falling out and the 'buddy system' between the two was no longer valid. So, when Woodruff told the local gamblers that the 'lid' was coming off of gambling in the city again, he told them that someone else would have to take charge instead of Garrison." Whatever the reason, Garrison was out by 1941, and the Shelton Gang was running gambling and controlling vice in Peoria.

Bernie Shelton's murder dominated the front pages of Peoria newspapers for months (and then years and decades. . .) following the ambush shooting by an unnamed gunman on July 26, 1948. Early features offered rewards for clues leading to the killer, detailed the tracing of the stolen gun at the murder scene and attempted to piece together the "whole weird story of interlacing relationships between gambling rings and 'higher-ups,'" wrote The Peoria News on November 18, 1948.

The Peoria News had a particularly keen devotion to the case, true to its motto: "The paper that dares tell the truth." Following the murder, it noted, "Peoria's bad name must be cleared—by private or state investigation or otherwise. It cannot be cleared without the answer to the burning questions which The Peoria News asks again this week: 'Who killed Bernie Shelton?'"

Perturbed by the delay in solving the case, the paper published the following on February 2, 1949: "People have asked if the 'WHO KILLED BERNIE SHELTON' question was going to lead The Peoria News up a 'blind alley.' That is possible. We will take that chance. We know also, that there are people in Peoria who want us to forget the whole thing. But we also know that there are only two crimes in the statutes on which there is no statute of limitations . . . these are TREASON and MURDER." Three weeks later, still determined, the paper wrote, "The fact remains that Bernie Shelton was a human being. In civilized communities, killings are not done and then idly forgotten."

More than six decades later, The Peoria News' pursuit of justice remains unfulfilled, but its quest is not forgotten. In 2010, Phil Luciano of the Peoria Journal Star wrote a series of columns on the Shelton Gang. On April 13, 2010, he wrote that while author Taylor Pensoneau and others now believe the slayings of Carl and Bernie Shelton were most likely committed by Charlie Harris, the late gangster and Shelton Gang rogue, the fact remains that "Neither murder ever was solved, nor were other killings and maimings of the Shelton family."

A "Wide-Open City"
Peoria had a reputation as a wide-open city, and by 1940, a number of factors combined to make it a gambling mecca. First, it was the second-largest city in Illinois at the time, and the largest metropolitan area south of Chicago. With the advent of World War II, Peoria was also located between two military camps, Camp Ellis in western Illinois and Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. Peoria was popular with soldiers as well as locals. Second, there was an increase in the popularity of gambling all across the United States. The Depression was ending, people had jobs and money to spend, and gambling was a popular outlet. Finally, the political scene in Peoria was conducive to gambling. 1941 saw the election, again, of Mayor Woodruff, who was first elected in 1903 and served on and off again for 24 years. Mayor Woodruff was an advocate of the "Peoria liberal" attitude, which held that gambling and prostitution were inevitable but should be controlled and taxed in some manner.

Although believed to be personally honest, Woodruff accepted the fact that gambling could exist in Peoria as long as fees were paid to the city and violence was controlled. A "levy" of $20 per month was assessed to every slot machine in the city. Rumor has it that slot machines not only existed in gambling clubs in downtown Peoria but also in the Creve Coeur Club and at Peoria's Country Club.

This was an ideal situation for the Sheltons. They controlled the slot machines, provided protection and had no tolerance for violence in Peoria from 1941 to 1945. Carl and Bernie both lived in Peoria during this period: Carl on Knoxville Avenue near the Children's Home, and Bernie off of Farmington Road on Golden Rule Farm, where he raised palomino horses.

Business Rules
What was the attitude of Peoria's business community to the wide-open gambling in the early 40's? Generally speaking, the business community also adopted the "Peoria liberal" attitude—as long as the gambling was controlled, there was little or no gang violence, and there were economic benefits created by the gambling, it was tolerated. There were two Peorias: the genteel city above the bluff and the valley city teeming with gambling and vice.

Carl Shelton longed to be respected as just another businessman. To bolster this desire, he became a partner in a legitimate company known as the Peoria Amusement Company. The association served another purpose as well. Pensoneau says that another partner, a key figure in various legitimate businesses, "was sought out by Carl as a dependable businessman to keep straight books on the slot machines and advise Carl on the ins and outs of life in Peoria." Pensoneau did not identify this person, but Adams identifies him as Harry Tyrrell, owner of several local businesses.

End of an Era
The era of the Sheltons' control of gambling in Peoria ended in 1945. Peorians were becoming upset with its reputation as a "sin city," and in 1945, voters threw Woodruff out of the mayor's office and elected Carl Triebel, who ran as a reform candidate. In a meeting with Carl Shelton, the new mayor made it clear that gambling in Peoria would be closed down. Carl Shelton had learned while in East St. Louis in the 1930s that if local officials were not willing to take bribes or turn a blind eye toward gambling, then the gang could not survive. He told Mayor Triebel that he would have more time to farm.

Although gambling was shutting down in Peoria, it was still available in Peoria County outside the city, and Bernie stayed to run that operation. But all was not well with the Shelton Gang, who had developed many enemies. In addition, the Chicago and St. Louis gangs saw an opportunity to eliminate the Sheltons and take over gambling operations in southern Illinois. Between February and October of 1946, three gangsters affiliated with the Shelton gang were killed in Peoria. On October 23, 1947, Carl Shelton was killed near his farm in southern Illinois. On July 26th of the next year, Bernie Shelton was killed outside the Parkway Tavern on Farmington Road. No one was ever tried for either murder. The death of Bernie Shelton effectively ended the reign of the Shelton Gang in the Peoria area. Peoria continued to change from the wide-open city of the 1940s, and in 1953, won the first of its three All-American City Awards.

The days of the Shelton Gang in southern Illinois were also numbered. There were three attempts to murder Earl, the last of the gang, during 1950 and 1951, but he had had enough. He packed up the rest of the Shelton clan and moved—thus ending the Shelton Gang itself.

In his book, Taylor Pensoneau summed up the Sheltons this way: "The Shelton boys and their gang were a bridge in Illinois between old and new. They had one foot in the past, when lawlessness featured independent gunmen and their henchmen preying on society. . . On the other hand, Carl, Bernie and Big Earl were forerunners in the move to major organized crime…In the end, though, the Sheltons did not have the wherewithal or staying power (especially after the killing of Carl) to withstand some of the ultimate villains in organized crime. . . But the Sheltons held their own against them for years."

For more information on the Sheltons, check out Brothers Notorious: The Sheltons , by Taylor Pensoneau, or The Shelton Gang: They Played in Peoria , by Bill Adams.

Source: Peoria Magazines

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The .45 Colt revolver that Carl Shelton was carrying on Oct. 23, 1947, when he was ambushed and murdered in Pond Creek southeast of Fairfield, Illinois. (Photo Courtesy of The Wayne County Historical Society)

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