Fine For Business.

The City Council approved an addition to the existing business license ordinance during its regular meeting last Tuesday evening. The addition specifies a fine for failure to obtain a license.

During a previous Public Safety Committee meeting it was noted that the 2% penalty was of little or no inducement for companies to renew licenses on a timely basis.

The following is the ordinance in its original form with the newly imposed fine section in italic.

a) All licenses required by this article shall be due and payable on January 1 of each year, or where license has been issued for a term of six (6) months. A grace period offorty-five (45) days shall be allowed after the due date, before any license shall become delinquent. To any license which is not issued before the delinquent date, a penalty of two (2) percent per month shall be added to the cost thereof. For the purpose of computing the amount of the penalty provided by this section, the delinquency shall be dated back to the date the license became due and payable, and the penalty shall be assessed for each full month of delinquency, only full months being counted. Where a license is delinquent from the first ofthe year, the penalty shall be computed on the basis ofthe amount due for the full year. Where the delinquency occurs on licenses due during the last six (6) months ofthe year, the penalty shall be computed on the basis of the balance due thereon.

(b) Any business that fails to obtain a business license by due date or operates without a business license shall be assessed the following fine; 1st Offense $75.00 plus court cost, 2nd Offense $150.00 plus court cost, 3rd and subsequent offense as determined by the court. The fine associated under subsection (b) shall be in addition to any other penalties.

McCaskill: New contraceptives deal a ‘win-win’

By Eli Yokley Politicmo

Reacting to backlash from the Catholic Church and other religious institutions, the White House revised a new policy that would have required some religious employers to pay for contraceptive coverage for employees.

The Obama administration announced Friday that instead of requiring the religious institutions to pay for the coverage, they would require insurance companies to cover contraceptive care for women, "free of charge."

"These employers will not have to pay for, or provide, contraceptive services," President Obama, announcing the new rule, said Friday. "But women who work at these institutions will have access to free contraceptive services."

During a briefing with reporters detailing the plan, White House officials said they believe the new regulation will be cost-neutral for insurance providers.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D., said she covering contraceptives will save insurance companies money, and believes the new rule is a "compromise" that addresses both religious and health care concerns.

"I think it’s a win-win, and I don’t know why in the world everyone can’t come togather and acknowledge that," she said.

McCaskill said she feels the issue is being used as a "political football," and challenged institutions supportive of reducing the number of abortions to back the new rule.

"There is no other way to bring down the number of abortions in this country than available and affordable birth control for women who want it," McCaskill said.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R., a critic of the Obama administration’s new rule from the start, said Obama’s announcement on Friday did not change his mind.

"My objection to the whole idea that the federal government can mandate behavior on faith based institutions is I don’t think it is constitutional," Blunt said. "I think their final decision violates the same First Amendment line as their first regulation."

Eggs & Issues Legislative Forum.

The first of the area’s Eggs & Issues Forum of 2012 will be hosted by the Carthage Chamber of Commerce and is scheduled for Friday, February 17 at Grace Point Assembly, 1605 S. Baker Blvd. Doors open for networking and brunch at 10:15 a.m., and the program will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Art in the Park: Save the Date

The annual Art in the Park event at George Washington Carver National Monument will be held on Saturday, April 28th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Presented in conjunction with National Park Week, Art in the Park is a free event showcasing the artwork of George Washington Carver.

George Washington Carver was inspired by the natural environment and gained a sense of serenity and personal rejuvenation from his artistic work. Plein-air artists will set up along the trail, capturing the beauty of the woodlands, prairie, and streams. Artists will conduct art workshops throughout the day and visitors are encouraged to participate.

A "budding artists" area will feature natural dyes, painting color swatches and other children’s art activities.

Work Ready Communities.

The Missouri Career Center is teaming up with the Carthage Technical Center and Carthage Chamber of Commerce to discuss a local business tool to help with an employers hiring process.

The National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) is made up of a series of assessments specifically designed for employers to determine the work readiness of job candidates. "The NCRC gives our students an edge and makes them more employable. This credential validates their academic skills to enhance their technical skills sets to make them a well rounded employee." Eddie Stephens, Carthage Technical Center

Job seekers who earn the NCRC demonstrate that they have the skills to do the job. Employers can refine the applicant pool, make better job matches and identify skill gaps to overcome any decreased productivity. There is no cost to eligible employers or job candidates to take any assessments or to earn the NCRC through the Missouri Career Center workforce System.

According to school officials, owners and HR directors of any size of business as well as community leaders will benefit from this free informational workshop to be held on February 27 from 11:30-1 at the Carthage Technical Center (south) A complimentary lunch will be served. RSVP to Holley Goodnight by 5 p.m. on February 23 to goodnighth@carthage.k12.mo.us.

Jasper County Jail Count

186 February 15, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

Weekly Column

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

I just bought a new Jeep, and the owner’s manual says that all tires, including the spare, should be replaced after six years, regardless of condition or usage, to avoid a sudden failure during use. The spare in my last Jeep is now more than 10 years old. Should I replace it? What is the reasoning behind this recommendation?-- Eric

TOM: What’s the reasoning? Well, the Goodyear pension plan is seriously underfunded.

RAY: Actually, it’s about the deterioration of the rubber, Eric. If you take a rubber band and toss it in your kitchen drawer, when you go to stretch it a year later, what happens? It’s all dried out, and it breaks.

TOM: There’s a similar, though much slower, process happening with your tires. Over time, the ozone in the air degrades rubber. Just from being in Earth’s atmosphere, tires dry out, crack and, eventually, fail to hold air.

RAY: So how’d they come up with the six-year time frame? Well, it’s somewhat arbitrary. They looked at a number of factors: the rate at which rubber decays, how the average person cares for his or her tires, the real-life data on tire failure and the tire sales numbers for Q4. They put it all together, and they came up with a guess of six years.

TOM: So, it’s a guess. Your tires may last longer or may fail sooner. But it’s a reasonable guess that errs on the side of safety. And in reality, most tires have their tread used up in less than six years anyway. So it’s only an issue for people who don’t drive much, and for spare tires that don’t get rotated into the mix.

RAY: You may have a little more leeway with your spare, since you’re not actually driving on it every day. But in an emergency, if you were forced to use it, you’d have to drive slowly and carefully, and then replace it as soon as possible. If it were me, I’d replace a spare that’s 10 years old.

artCentral

ART NOTES from Hyde House

by Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

The first exhibition of the 2012 season here at Hyde House is quickly approaching, and I am so pleased to see the beautiful entries for this show which arrived over the past weekend. Opening Friday evening, February 17th, "MANY VOICES: ONE JOURNEY"

represents the current work of JRAC, and 48 members of the Joplin Regional Artist Coalition will be represented. I have checked in art and received 7 ceramic entries, one stone sculpture, one turned wood piece and one wood sculpture, one metal sculpture, one block print, 10 oil paintings, 6 watercolors, 7 acrylic paintings, 2 pastel paintings, 5 photography, 1 pen & ink, 3 mixed media, and one jewelry entry. Great variety of media as well as styles, and as some of these artists have not shown in awhile and are not as well known as others, there are some pleasant surprises. I am most pleased with the results, and the display of this exhibition will extend into the upper level gallery. I congratulate the new officers of JRAC for the 2012 season, which includes Linda Teeter, President, Marta Churchwell, Vice President, Donna Roberts, Secretary, Daria Claiborne, Treasurer, and board members Becky Golubski, Sarah Serio, Deb Bradley and Jed Schlegel. These folks are all artists represented in the exhibition, and many of these served during the weekend as volunteers assisting in the art check-in, which made my job a lot easier. I hope that you will take advantage of the break in the winter weather to stop by this weekend, which promises to be milder, and view the work done by these 48 fine area artists. If you cannot attend the opening reception on Friday at 6:00, when many of the artists will be present, then come by Saturday or Sunday noon to 5:00. Once more artCentral wishes to thank the kind and generous underwriters of this show, Cherry’s Gallery & Frame, and Koka Gallery both in Carthage. This show will remain in both galleries Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays noon to 5:00 through March 4th.

The purpose of this group’s organization has been to better expose lesser known artists in the community, and make their various styles available, and to this end we wish them great success!