U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver defended the use of earmarks at the opening ceremony for the John H. Baker Film Collection exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.</p><p>Cleaver secured $300,000 in federal funding to make the project happen &mdash; money that came from an earmark. Cleaver said at a reception on Sept. 18 that he enjoys bringing home the bacon to his congressional district. </p><p>&ldquo;I intend to go after all the money that&rsquo;s not tied down or nailed to the walls,&rdquo; Cleaver said. &ldquo;I hear people condemning earmarks. These come from people who are living in inner cities that have been lifted up because of earmarks. For the most part in the central city or the urban core, without earmarks, there would be no money coming in.&rdquo;</p><p>Elected officials must make hard decisions. </p><p>&ldquo;If members of Congress don&rsquo;t make decisions about money in their community, then the bureaucrats who, in many instances have never come west of the Potomac River and know absolutely nothing about this region of the country, will. They come up to me all the time and say how are things in Kansas? Have you seen Dorothy and Toto? If you want those people making decisions about spending your tax dollars, I think it&rsquo;s a great mistake.&rdquo; </p><p>Government support for the museum is essential. </p><p> &ldquo;There is not a single museum in this country, not one, that survives off people coming to museums,&rdquo; Cleaver said.</p><p>&bull;&bull;&bull; </p><p>Stinson McClendon, a local filmmaker, is holding auditions this weekend for his feature-length murder mystery, &ldquo;Coptic Scrolls.&rdquo;</p><p>McClendon, producer and director for Baby E Films, will hold the auditions from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Southeast Community Center in Swope Park, 4201 E. 63rd St.</p><p>&ldquo;Coptic Scrolls&rdquo; will be controversial. The film questions the ethnicity of Jesus Christ and will examine how the revelation of Jesus&rsquo; background could stir the foundation of Christianity. </p><p>McClendon said: &ldquo;My intention is not to give a history lesson. I&rsquo;m a filmmaker, and my main objective is to tell an exciting and moving story.&rdquo;</p><p>&bull;&bull;&bull; </p><p>The city of Kansas City is in negotiations with the EPA over a decree for the combined sewer system project. Such decrees declare just how long work should take. Many cities are allowed 20 years to complete similar projects, said City Manager Wayne Cauthen. Kansas City would like 25 to 29 years. </p><p>&ldquo;The reason why were looking for 25 years is that we took our plan back to the EPA and we added some green components,&rdquo; Cauthen said. &ldquo;&hellip;We felt that by adding those green components equates to needing a little bit more time.&rdquo;