City and School Board Election Results.

The election of City Council members and School Board members held Tuesday, April 3. The following names appeared on the ballot.

R-9 School Board: (two

seats open)

Michael Goolsby 537

Lee Elliff Pound 590

Sheila VonHolten 300

City Council - (vote for

one)

Ward 1:

Kirby Newport 39

Trevor C. Smith 28

Ward Two:

Two year term -

Donald McLaughlin

One year term -

Lawrence Q. Chapin

Ward Three:

John Studebaker 44

Dustin Blankenship 38

Ward Four:

Lee Carlson 154

Dick Fanning 118

Ward Five:

Jason T.A. Shelfer

Council Vote Scheduled Next Tuesday Night.

CW&EP Former Headquarters On the Block.

Chickens To Be Contained.

A clarification on the restriction of chickens in the City limits is scheduled to be voted on the the City Council at next Tuesday’s regular meeting in City Hall at 7:30 p.m. C.B. 12-13 retains the current requirement of any housing of chickens be at least 250 from any neighbor’s residence, and will make it illegal for a chicken owner to allow chickens, or any other goose, duck, turkey, mule, horse, sheep, hog, goat or other domestic animal or domestic fowl, to to run at large.

The agenda will also include C.B. 12-15 An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract to sell real estate owned by the City of Carthage at 149 East 3rd Street, which is the former CW&EP building, to Alpha Capital LLC for $126,500.00.

Flanigan Named to Missouri State

Retirement Board.

State Rep. Tom Flanigan, R- Carthage, will help administer the retirement fund for state employees and elected officials. Flanigan was named by House Speaker Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, to the board of trustees for the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System.

"I’m looking forward to working with the other members of the board to help maintain the integrity of our state employee’s retirement system," said Flanigan. "It is an honor to be named, and I take this opportunity very seriously. I believe I bring knowledge and experience that will allow me to make meaningful contributions to the board.

Flanigan serves as the chairman of both the Appropriations Committee for Health, Mental Health and Social Services and the Joint Committee on Legislative Research . He also serves as Vice-Chairman for the Fiscal Review Committee and as a member of the Budget Committee and the Special Standing Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability.

As one of 11 members of the board of trustees, Flanigan will be responsible for the operation and administration of the $8.5 billion Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System. The system administers retirement, life insurance, and long-term disability benefits to most state employees, including members of the Missouri General Assembly, elected state officials, judges, and administrative law judges and legal advisors.

Maple Leaf Festival Committee Accepting Vendor Applications.

The Carthage Chamber of Commerce is currently accepting applications for Maple Leaf Festival vendors. Craft vendors will be able to sell handcrafted items on the historic Carthage square before, during and after the Maple Leaf Parade on Saturday, October 20, 2012. Concessions will be available on the south side of the square.

The Maple Market will once again be available to commercial vendors for booth space. Maple Market is an outdoor market located at 6th and Main St. No electricity will be available, and gas generators may only be used if they are quiet and don’t produce excessive fumes. Commercial spaces are for vendors offering a product or service for sale that is not handcrafted. There will be a limited number of booths are available so vendors are encouraged to not delay.

Booth space is not guaranteed for returning vendors. In categories that limit the number of similar vendors allowed, all registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis and spaces reserved accordingly. Spaces will be reserved in the order completed application packets with payment are received. If accepted, returning vendors will be given preference in booth placement until July 1.

Forms are available online at www.carthagemapleleaf.com. Craft and food vendor space will fill quickly. Electricity on the square is given first to concessions. Crafters’ requests for electricity are filled on a case by case basis.

Master Gardener Helpline.

For those who have a problem with their lawn or garden and don’t know where to turn for help, can contact the Master Gardener Helpline.

A Master Gardener will be available to answer questions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The Helpline will begin April 9 and run through August 10.

The Helpline is sponsored by University of Missouri Extension. To contact a Master Gardener, call 417-358-2158 or stop by the Jasper County University of Missouri Extension Center in the basement of the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage.

The Master Gardeners have completed a horticulture training course offered by University of Missouri Extension. A part of their certification requirement is to provide volunteer service in their communities. For more information about the program, contact the Jasper County University of Missouri Extension Center in Carthage, 417-358-2158.

University of Missouri Extension improves people’s lives with education and research from the four campuses of the University of Missouri System and Lincoln University that focuses on high-priority needs of people throughout the state. Each County Extension Center, with oversight by locally elected and appointed citizens, is your local link to these unbiased resources.

Judge Strikes Down Voter Photo ID Language.

Cole County judge has blocked a proposed constitutional amendment ballot question that would have allowed the state to require photo identification from voters.

Judge Pat Joyce struck down the ballot language, written by lawmakers, saying it is "insufficient and unfair" in its current form. Joyce suggested lawmakers revise their language.

U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, a St. Louis Democrat who hosted a conference earlier this month rallying opposition to proposed voter ID rules, said the judge’s decision was "a victory for voting rights."

Martin Challenges Koster as "Obama’s Lawyer."

Earlier this year, with support from the state Republican party, St. Louis attorney Ed Martin gave up a congressional bid to run instead for attorney general.

As part of his effort, Martin has organized an online and billboard campaign chiding Koster as "Obama’s Lawyer" for not doing more to challenge the health care law and other policies supported by the president.

"We’re being overrun by Obamacare and Obama, and he’s not fighting back," Martin said in an interview with PoliticMo.

Koster initially attempted to block a legal challenge to the law by Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, but ultimately backed off. Koster later filed a brief with a Florida lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate, while supporting the rest of the law.

If Martin can effectively link Koster to Obama, his campaign believes he will be on track to unseat the first term incumbent.

Martin’s campaign commissioned a poll early last month that showed a 54 percent disapproval for President Obama’s job performance. Of those, 62 percent support Martin, and 18 percent are undecided on their candidate. Randall Gutermuth, an analyst for the polling firm American Viewpoint, said Martin’s focus on the health care law could be a good strategy to gain those undecided voters.

On the campaign trail, Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat, has accused Martin of seeking the office for use as a partisan bully pulpit. In contrast, Koster claims to be "all prosecutor, no politics." But Martin said Koster is already using the office for political purposes.

"He’s using it as his political pulpit to run for governor, he’s already announced," Martin said. "What we need is a lawyer for the state, not a guy who is playing politics."

Koster hopes to make the race exclusively about his legal wins as attorney general and about his biography as Cass County prosecutor.

"From prosecuting criminals to holding mortgage lenders accountable, we have established a strong record over the last three years, and I look forward to sharing it with voters," Koster said, earlier this year after both Republicans had entered the race.

Jasper County Jail Count

171 April 4, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

Weekly Column

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

Recently my husband and I rented a Toyota Prius in California -- which we enjoyed driving, by the way. While driving in our many national parks, I was concerned that there seemed to be no way to downshift the car. Navigating the steep, winding roads caused me to worry that the brakes would overheat. Thankfully, this did not happen.

So, what’s up with this vehicle? How does a driver prevent the brakes from overheating when cruising down these hairpin curves when there seems to be no way to drop the car into a lower gear? -- Susan

TOM: While you can’t downshift the continuously variable transmission (CVT) in the Prius, they have created a simulated downshift mode just for this purpose, Susan.

RAY: If you look at the transmission selector, in addition to "P," "N" and "D," you’ll notice there’s a selection called "B." That’s for "braking" mode.

TOM: Like most functions on the Prius, what it does is controlled by the car’s main computer, and the details are pretty complex. But from the driver’s point of view, what the "B" setting does is add a "braking" effect, just as if you were downshifting.

RAY: If the car’s battery is at less than optimal charge, the "B" mode will first engage regenerative braking, which uses the forward motion of the car to charge the battery.

TOM: If the battery is already sufficiently charged, or the speed of the car is higher, and the computer determines that it needs more engine braking, the computer then engages the engine through its planetary gear set and makes use of the cylinder compression to slow the car, just like every other car does when you shift to a lower gear.

artCentral

ART NOTES from Hyde House

by Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

Dale Augustson is our current presenting artist, and his current work varies between acrylic paintings of muted colors and textures to high gloss enamel finishes with collage textures featuring actual leaves, shells and twigs. The nature pieces are beautiful and feel almost wet they are so heavy with clear lacquer. It was a pleasure featuring his wife Darice Avakian Augustson, at our opening reception last Friday night, as she provided beautiful musical accompaniment on her harp to the enjoyment of the guests and visitors who came out to view Dale’s work and escape the rain for a beautiful clear evening at Hyde House gallery. The attendance was good, several paintings were sold, and once more we wish to thank our underwriter, Beimdiek Insurors, for the generous sponsorship of this exhibition, which included the wonderful food prepared by Mary Jean Beimdiek and wines selected by them for the evening--- a special treat which most underwriters do not provide. Thanks too to the Carthage Crisis Center for the kind donation of paper napkins for the reception. This weekend will feature a workshop led by the artist, Dale Augustson, for a small class of various levels of adult artists on abstract painting. If you are interested to see what the class is up to, and want to view the paintings on display, come Saturday or Sunday afternoons. The regular gallery will continue be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5:00, and then weekends through April 8th.