State Special Session Called.

Governor Nixon has issued a call for a Special Session to address certain specific issues which had support from both the House and Senate Chambers during the Regular Session but on which the Chambers ultimately ran out of time in which to reach a compromised final position. At this time, the anticipated schedule will bring some members back to the Capitol as early as Tuesday, September 6th with all members hereon September 9th.

There are four (4) bills that will be filed during the Special Session pursuant to the Governor’s call. The first three are House Bills: 1) St. Louis City Police Department Local Control, 2) Election Law issues (to address the issues in the Election Law bill that the Governor vetoed), and 3) Tax Amnesty. The fourth bill will be the omnibus Tax Credit Reform/Economic Development/Job Creation bill that likely will be filed in the Senate. On Tuesday, the three afore-mentioned House Bills will be filed and First Read. They will then be second read and referred to their respective committees for review.

Jasper County Jail Count

184August 26, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

The oft asked question of why we have maintained the power plant in Carthage is now bein’ answered. POWER!

Durin’ the early 80’s, cheap power from outside sources kept the plant pretty much at rest, only bein’ used in emergencies such as regional brown outs. As cheap energy becomes less available, the nine little generators occupyin’ the River Street power plant are obviously real assets to the community. We are one of the few such power producin’ communities left.

Just havin’ the capability of producin’ gives us one leg up in dealin’ with the "big boys" for better rates and other considerations. Carthage recently consumed over 65 megawats durin’ peak times. Bein’ able to produce a chunck of that is a nice secruity blanket.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Weekly Column

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Composting tips

Q: I really enjoy your column, it’s informative and helpful. We have many trees on our property, and leaves are a constant cleaning chore. We place the leaves in a barrel and let them decompose. When they’ve broken down, we use that compost in our flower beds and special gardens, like our volcano mountain waterfall garden. In the decomposing barrel, we add a little lime to sweeten the soil.

The best way to maintain home value is to keep the home looking appealing. -- Mr. & Mrs. Harry & Janice K., St. Cloud, Fla.

A: Good advice. Creating a compost heap is a very budget-friendly way to keep garden plants flourishing. If you have a well-treed property and aren’t taking advantage of all the free leaves, I highly recommend doing so. There are a number of composting methods, from creating a simple heap in a corner of the yard to purchasing a rotating composting system (usually a heavy-duty barrel on a stand that allows you to rotate the barrel easily to turn the compost). It’s up to you how you want to compost.

Leaves can be a very rich source of minerals that when broken down do a great job of building up the soil for decorative plants as well as vegetable gardens.

Adding lime to compost is a topic of some debate. Lime typically slows down decomposition, and it reduces the acidity of the compost. So it’s a good idea to know why and when lime needs to be added. If, for example, your compost is largely made up of oak leaves, pine needles or fruit pulp, adding a small amount of lime (about 1 cup for every 25 cubic feet of compost) can balance out the pH of the compost by lowering the acidity.

To speed decomposition and ensure even breakdown, turn your compost every three weeks. Shredding the leaves before adding them to the pile will also help the compost develop faster. This is where a mulching attachment on the lawnmower comes in handy. If it’s too much trouble, however, just chuck the leaves onto the pile and remember to turn regularly.

HOME TIP: Leaf pile not composting? Add some manure (one part for every five parts of leaves), bone meal or other nitrogen-rich supplement to kick-start decomposition.