McKnight Assumes Dual Role.

Today will be the last day for City Economic Development Director Max McKnight. The City’s contract with the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, approved by the Council last week, to assume economic development responsibilities becomes effective tomorrow.

McKnight will move his belongings down the street and assume his dual role as Chamber Director/Economic Development manager. The Chamber and McKnight reached an agreement for his employment just days before the Council gave final approval to the economic development contract.

The City and CW&EP will share the $85,000 per year investment to promote development in the community. The contract is to be reviewed each year by the Council and include a proposed budget for the upcoming year. The contract does not stipulate any particular individual for the economic development position, but does allow for a reduction in the amount paid to the Chamber if a qualified individual is not employed.

McKnight held a similar Chamber position before being hired by the City of Carthage about four years ago.

Commentary
Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

Sometimes I am just at a loss to explain what happens up here. This week the House went a long way towards putting the livestock industry out of business. The very sad thing about this is that it was done under the pretense of protecting the small family farmer.

We debated a bill that is a watered down version of the Federal Packers and Stockyards Act. The federal legislation puts some regulations and restrictions on how processors and stockyards operate. This law has been on the books since the 1920s and for the most part has been largely unenforced.

The key to making a regulation work as it was intended is making sure they are applied across the board to everyone. If the federal legislation was enforced, it would apply to everyone. There is no consensus that it would do what it was intended to do even if it was enforced. The bill we debated would only apply to livestock sales in Missouri. We no longer operate in a local, regional, or even statewide economy.

Agriculture is now on a regional, national, and even global basis. Once you get steers, chickens, or hogs loaded on a truck, it is no problem to haul them to a processor hundreds of miles and several state lines away.

Where I am going with this is that if we insist on putting these restrictions and regulations on the companies that buy Missouri cattle, hogs, and chickens, they will simply refuse to buy our farmers’ products and will go to another state to fill their needs. Since agriculture is constantly in a state of overproduction, they won’t have any problem keeping their processing plants full, even without Missouri livestock.

We offered an amendment which would have kept these regulations from taking effect until the states that border us also pass similar legislation. That would have ensured that our farmers wouldn’t be placed at a competitive disadvantage when it came to marketing their livestock.

The amendment failed on a straight party line vote with republicans voting for it and democrats voting against it. Why do the democrats in the Missouri House want to put our small family farmers out of business? I don’t know. I can’t figure it out. If this bill passes in its current form, Missouri agriculture will be dealt a serious blow.

As usual, I can be reached at House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101, or 1-800-878-7126, or mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions, comments, or advice.

I suppose you could say we are just lucky.

A few weeks ago a citizen called about a suspicious car, turned out to be a guy who had robbed a business. The police showed up and arrested him.

A citizen happened to be drivin’ by the City Street Department garage the other night and notice it on fire, called it in and most of the equipment was saved.

The other night a 911 call made it possible for an officer to locate a suspicious vehicle and arrest three in the car with a gun suspected of bein’ the weapon shot out of the passing car.

The fact is luck is what ya make of it. Concerned citizens and a responsive police and fire department go a long way.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Carthage Printing Services

It’s an ideal time now to make a personalized phone directory of important numbers relating to your family’s activities. So gather the Post-it notes dangling from your phone and make directory assistance a family project.

First, use a pad and pencil to jot down the names and telephone numbers of the important people in charge of your kids’ activities. Encourage your kids to think of activities they do during an average week. For example, include soccer coaches, scout leaders, piano and karate instructors and Sunday school teachers in the directory.

Remember to include important numbers at school, such as the names of teachers, the school nurse and the principal. If the school has a phone-in number for parents to call and leave a message if a child is going to be absent, or if there is a homework line, be sure to include that as well. Then add your local library, pediatrician, community center, emergency numbers and, of course, your favorite take-out pizza place.

Finally, include the numbers of friends and relatives your family contacts regularly.

Type or print the directory and mount it on posterboard. Post it close to your busiest phone.

For an extra project, help your preschoolers make their own picture directory of neighborhood, play group and day-care friends. They may wish to include grandparents or other relatives who live in your area, too.

To make the directory, glue photos or draw pictures of each person on large index cards. Below the photo or drawing, print in large letters the person’s name and telephone number. Punch a hole in the corner of each card and attach the photo cards together with string or a metal ring. As your children become familiar with the phone, remind them that the phone is not a toy and should only be used with your assistance and permission.