Today's Feature

MO Money.

JEFFERSON CITY –The Missouri Senate demonstrated its commitment to securing federal stimulus money for programs to benefit Missourians when Senate Leader Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, today announced the creation of a special committee. The Senate Select Committee on Oversight of Federal Stimulus Plan will hold its first meeting this Wednesday, January 28, in Senate Committee Room 1 at 2 p.m.

Shields named Sen. Scott T. Rupp, R-Wentzville, as chair and Sen. Rita Heard Days, D-St. Louis, as vice-chair. The committee has invited Governor Jay Nixon, Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, and all members of Missouri’s Congressional delegation to speak before the committee to share information and strategies for securing Missouri’s fair share of the anticipated nearly $1 trillion federal stimulus plan.

Shields said he created the committee so the Legislature can act quickly to adopt state laws that may currently hinder the state’s ability to gain preference to receive grants through the federal plan.

"We want to make sure Missourians get their federal tax dollars invested back into programs and jobs that can improve our daily lives, rather than going to pay for our neighboring states," he said. "The Obama administration has made it clear they will award the funding to states that can invest in and complete projects quickly and, as lawmakers, we must be ready to adopt laws and policies to make sure Missourians get their fair share of federal tax dollars being reinvested in them."

Shields said the Senate will also work with the National Conference of State Legislatures to learn more information and track actions by state legislatures across the nation.

"By acting quickly and overseeing the securing of federal funding, we can better work through our challenges to sustain economic prosperity and a high quality of life for Missourians for years to come," he said.

Mornin'

I was pretty excited ‘bout my first bicycle. Lookin’ back, it wasn’t much. It had hard rubber tires, no coaster brake or brakes at all. It was direct drive and no real pedals, just pins stickin’ out where pedals used ta be.

The learnin’ process consumed nearly a full day, from sun up to sun down. In the commercials, they always have smooth sidewalks, no hills and plenty of shrubbery to land in.

My neighborhood had giant cracks in the sidewalk, seems I was always goin’ up hill and the only thing green was the grass growin’ up in the gravel roads. It was an eventful day for me.

I went directly to bed without mendin’ scrapes and bruises or even eatin’ supper that night. Slept mighty good as I recall.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’

By JoAnn Derson

• "When dispensing medicine to my dogs, I have always coated the pills in butter or peanut butter. It seems to make it more appetizing, or the butter at least helps it go down smoothly. I recently was prescribed some pills that are very large. I tried the butter method on myself, and sure enough, it works." -- J.K. in Pennsylvania

• "A nice, cheap exfoliator for skin is baking soda. It gives just enough scrub, and a box is less than a dollar. I love it." -- A Reader in Minnesota

• "I cook soup in quantity, because my family loves leftovers. To cool a big pot quickly, I keep a clean, plastic water bottle mostly filled with water, which I freeze. I use it to stir the soup. It cools down quickly, and then I can stick it in smaller containers in the fridge." -- V.L., via e-mail

•"In a pinch, you can invert a metal colander over a pot of spaghetti sauce or a pan of greasy bacon or burgers to keep things nice and neat while cooking. It catches the splatter in the net, and the grease or sauce doesn’t get all over your stovetop. I really hate when tomato sauce gets on the wall behind my stove, because it’s hard to get off if you don’t catch it all right away." -- A.A. in Florida

• To test whether the oil in a deep fryer or fry pan is ready, try dropping a single kernel of popping corn into it. If it’s hot enough, it should pop.

• Go Green Tip: Here’s a great resource for all things green -- www.earth911.com. You can find information on recycling and other topics, all of which better our world and save you money.