Property Maintenance Code.

The City Council Public Works Committee is scheduled to meet this afternoon in City Hall at 4 p.m.

The agenda includes the ongoing discussion concerning the adoption of the 2000 Property Maintenance Code. Several concerned property owners have attended the last several Committee meetings in an attempt to eliminate portions of the Code. City Director of Engineering Joe Butler has submitted a response to suggestions made by the property owners group and is expected to discuss the response with the Committee.

Committee Chair Bill Fortune has indicated that he wants to have a Committee recommendation for the Council soon.

The Committee is also scheduled to discuss the bids for the Airport Drive/Hornback Avenue street improvements. The bids received were considerably over the engineer’s estimate and the Engineering Department is trying to lower the cost.

An agreement with Midwest Fibre for various recycling services is also scheduled. Past discussions have indicated that a good portion of costs can be recouped with the sale of recycled goods.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

I guess by now you have heard that our own John Ashcroft has been tabbed by President-elect George W. Bush to be the next Attorney General of the United States. You have also probably heard about all the controversy that has accompanied the nomination.

The fact is, Sen. Ashcroft and I didn’t always get along very well. He was Governor during my first term in the House and I wasn’t a big fan of his. This mainly stemmed from his personality and his constant bowing to the democrats. I am pleased to say that during his time in the U.S. Senate, he got over that phase and became one of the best, if not the best, voices for Missouri and America. I am proud to call him a friend and political colleague.

His personal integrity and high moral values cannot be questioned. Ironically, that seems to be the point of contention for his nomination.

Opponents of him claim that he is not moderate enough. They claim that he is too conservative to be the nation’s top cop. Excuse me?! With all the rampant violent crime, school shootings, and general moral decay left behind by eight years of Clinton-Gore, a true conservative is exactly what we need in the nation’s top law enforcement position.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of eight years of hearing about how murders aren’t really guilty because of a bad childhood. I am tired of hearing about judges throwing out convictions based on some obscure technicality. I am tired of seeing judges making laws from the bench instead of applying laws to criminals.

That brings me to another point of contention about Ashcroft’s nomination. While in the Senate, Ashcroft was successful in shining the light of truth on the record of a Missouri Supreme Court Justice that was being considered for a federal judgeship. The Justice’s name was Ronnie White and I know him from serving in the House with him back in the early 90’s.

I can tell you he was a lousy legislator and has been a perfectly horrible Missouri Supreme Court Justice. I can’t think of anyone that I would rather NOT have in a federal judgeship. Unfortunately, because Ronnie White is black, Ashcroft was accused of being a racist. Ashcroft is not a racist. What he did was right for America, Missouri, you, and me.

We need judges that will uphold the rule of law, and Ronnie White is NOT such a judge. I don’t care if his skin color is black, white, purple, or green.

We all owe John Ashcroft a great big thank you for having the courage to do what he knew was right, while knowing he would catch grief from the liberal news media for it. I can tell you from personal experience that is not an easy thing to do.

It is a sad commentary on how far our society has slid when the nomination of a man of such high integrity is called ‘dangerous for America’. If that is the case, give me danger over political correctness any day. I and my family will sleep well knowing that John Ashcroft is on the job.

As usual, 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.

They are sayin’ we might get above freezin’ in the near future. That would be a good sign for the new year.

I’m reminded of a couple a "it was so cold" jokes but they don’t lend themselves to the written page.

Those of us here at the Mornin’ Mail want to wish ever’one a better than fair ta middlin’ new year.

We’d like ta thank all our readers for pickin’ up the Mail each day, and those businesses that allow us to use a portion of their counter space.

We would also appreciate givin’ a good word ‘bout the Mail to any of our sponsors you might happen upon. Don’t forget to tell ‘em ya saw it in the Mornin’ Mail. They fund this experiment ever’day.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

Health & Nutrition by Judith Sheldon

A GENE TEST FOR LUNG CANCER? Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have made an important breakthrough in the study of who might be most vulnerable for developing lung cancer.

"Based on these findings," said Dr. Adi Gazdar, professor of pathology at UT Southwestern, "we may eventually be able to develop a test that would predict who will develop lung cancer."

The study showed that in the earliest stages of lung cancer, genetic alterations involving deletions had developed in a region of this chromosome. The study, which uncovered alterations throughout the lung, also reinforced the link between smoking and lung cancer development. As Dr. Gazdar said, "Our findings provide considerable support for the `field cancerization’ theory (which) suggests the entire upper respiratory tract is compromised when exposed to carcinogens like those found in cigarette smoke. This raises the possibility that cancer may develop in multiple sections of the lung."

Gazdar noted that, "Nearly 90 percent of the people diagnosed with lung cancer will die from the disease." The importance of these findings, therefore, gives doctors a chance to detect lung cancer at an early age when treatment is most effective.