Recycling Center Extends Hours.

The City Council voted to increase the days of operation of the City compost lot and recycling center during the regular meeting Tuesday evening in City Hall. The Public Works Committee recommended a five day schedule instead of the current four. The new hours will begin April 1 and will be Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

The Council also approved a recommendation from the Finance/Personnel Committee to implement a centralized accounting procedure for all accounts receivable. Currently the various departments bill for miscellaneous services that aren’t accounted for on a regular basis through the City Clerk’s office. The Finance Committee was uncomfortable with the arrangement, although they recognize the amount of funds involved is relatively small.

In regular business, the Council approved a request for rezoning of property located at 501 W. Central as requested by Leggett & Platt. Also approved were several contracts use of City facilities. A closed session followed the meeting to discuss the sale, purchase or leasing of real estate.

Blunt Welcomes Ruling Halting Indian Gaming.

news release

Washington, D.C. - Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt, says he believes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) took a reasonable course in over-ruling its own decision to establish an Indian reservation in Missouri for the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma.

"We had argued that the BIA failed to follow its own internal rules policies in seeking input from the State of Missouri before making a decision. The Bureau also failed to determine that there was any long term economic benefit to the tribe to have the land in Trust. The BIA agreed with us on both points."

The 68 acres of land in Missouri is already owned by by the Modoc Tribe and is being used for agricultural purposes.

Blunt was the first of several public officials to file legal challenges to the BIA decision last year. He joined by Missouri State Representative Gary Marble of Neosho and Attorney General Jeremiah "Jay" Nixon.

The federal decision allows the tribe to re-apply for Trust Status on the property, but will require the BIA’s area director to be much more specific in determining what economic or other benefits the tribe would receive from the reservation in order to determine that the reservation should be created.

"We also wanted a clear decision that the Missouri governor retrained veto rights over the Oklahoma tribe’s ability to convert adjoining Missouri land into casino property. We were pleased to see that the BIA has determined that if any Missouri land is added to the tribal trust, gaming cannot take place without the specific approval of the Governor of Missouri."

Musical Workshop On Aging
Presented By Bob Payton.

Banjo plucking, guitar strumming and notes played on a harmonica will be heard throughout the four county area when Bob Payton come to town March 31 through April 6.

The Area Agency on Aging is sponsoring a series of seminars titled, "I’ve Never Been Old Before...a Musical Workshop on Aging."

He will be in Carthage from 1-2 p.m. on Thursday, April 6 at the Over 60 Center, 404 E. 3rd St. Carthage. This presentation is free and all ages are welcome to attend. For more information call 417-627-0600.

These musical workshops are designed to encourage seniors and their families to become knowledgeable about all aspects of the aging process which will help them to make informed choices as they make plans for the future. The audience will find "I’ve Never Been Old Before" to be both entertaining and informative.

"Aging brings many experiences. There are joys and achievements only possible if one has lived a long time," says Payton. "Likewise, there are losses and difficulties which are the direct result of living a long time."

Payton, a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist and talented musician from Minneapolis, Minnesota, weaves audience discussion with a lively performance of thought provoking songs, stories and questions that reflect change or challenge of later life. He has teamed up with his wife, producer Denise Dreher, to write and collect positive songs about aging which introduce a variety of aging topics.

During the workshop, the group will look at ways cultural attitudes affect the way we think, feel and talk about aging, examine how our personal feelings about aging affect the way we listen and respond to others, and learn the importance of talking about aging as a way to prepare for and cope with the changes of later life.

Songs which Payton uses in his presentation have been recorded on an hour-long audio cassette tape with 16 new songs about aging. They include "What the Old Folks Know," about life experience; "Nature’s Way," about physical changes of aging; "Give Me a Home in the Highrise," about independence; and "The Dancing Boilerman," about retirement expectations.

Boy I used ta wear ball caps. For a while there was the crisp bend on the bill on each side ta form little blinder type flaps.

For a while a single crisp bend right in the middle, formin’ an upside down v in the bill. Sometime in there was the bill just gently curved, pretty much the way ya usually buy ‘em. The last I remember the bill would be curved in a tight arch that almost formed a tube with the cap pulled down tight on the head. ‘Course dependin’ on the activities, workin’ on a tractor, down at the soda shop, or actually on occasion playin’ ball, the cap would be cocked in a different angle on the head. All in all the ball cap is a versatile accessory as well as a social statement. Guess I just don’t have near as much to say as I used to.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a ’92 Honda Civic LX sedan, which developed a vibrating, noise a few weeks ago. My mechanic said it was probably a loose heat shield, and I figured he would tighten a clamp or something. So imagine my surprise when I came back later to find he had removed the heat shield entirely. I asked him if it was safe, and he said it’s perfectly safe. I’m not convinced, however. Why would the Honda engineers have put it there if it wasn’t necessary? - Robert

Ray: Well, if you took your car to 1,000 different mechanics, Robert, 999 would probably do exactly what this guy did, and charge you $25.

Tom: And the other guy - the one who’d been sued because a customer’s car caught fire - would have installed a new heat shield and charged you over 100 bucks. And we’d have to endorse that guy’s action, mostly because our lawyers insist upon it.

Ray: Most cars have several heat shields...some more important than others. The one most commonly removed by mechanics fits just below the catalytic converter. It’s designed to keep a hot converter from igniting stuff underneath the car, like dead leaves and tall, dry grass you might park on top of.

Tom: So if you live in a city, and never park in a dry meadow, you can probably get by without that heat shield. But there are situations where something is wrong with the engine and too much fuel pours into the converter, causing it to overheat. And under those circumstances, the converter gets red hot and can ignite something and set the car on fire if no heat shield is present. And that’s really why the engineers put it there.