Hall Renovation Discussion.

The City Council Public Service Committee has scheduled a second meeting this month for this evening at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

The meeting was primarily called to discuss a resolution of the Memorial Hall renovation. The Committee took no action at its last meeting on the bids submitted for the work because the bids were about $200,000 more than the $800,000 architect estimate.

According to City Administrator Tom Short, until a bid is accepted or all bids rejected, the City cannot ask for specifics of the pricing used for individual portions of the bids. That information could help the City eliminate some parts of the renovation to lower the cost. The information might also justify the increase so the City could apply to the Missouri Veterans Administration for additional funding. The organization has committed approximately $400,000 toward the project.

The Public Service Committee is also scheduled to discuss bids on electrical work for the cattle barn, change order #1 on the Park Maintenance Building, and the employment agreement with the golf pro.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

Now that the Session is over, Gov. Holden is concentrating on another important job; raising money to pay for the inauguration. At a cost of about $1 million, it was the most expensive inauguration in the history of Missouri and one of the most expensive in the nation.

Details about where the money came from and where it went have been very sketchy. In the State budget, there is about $125,000 set aside for inaugural expenses. That money has to be accounted for. Gov. Holden has said that money went for postage and invitations. He contends that the money that has been raised privately does not need to be accounted for publicly.

There are several concerns raised that make it imperative that we receive a full accounting of the money. For one thing, I am having a hard time figuring out how a million bucks was spent on this inauguration. I was there and didn’t see $1 million worth of celebration.

I even went so far as to call a tent rental company to see how much it would be to rent a heated tent like the ones that were used on the front lawn. After being very generous with estimated costs and adding up everything I saw, I can’t see any more than $600,000 being spent. While this figure is an insane amount to spend, it still leaves more than $300,000 unaccounted for. I don’t think a list of what was spent where is too much to ask for. My office requested such a list 3 weeks ago from the Governor’s office. We were told someone would call us back. We are still waiting for that call.

The other thing is that Gov. Holden claimed to have received contributions from various sources, only to have those sources immediately deny that they gave anything or that they gave much less than what was stated. Now Gov. Holden is on the phone soliciting contributions even as he is considering which legislative bills to sign and which ones to veto.

I am sure there are no direct references made to pending legislation, but if you have a piece of legislation laying out there that is going to affect you, good or bad, and the man that has ultimate power over whether it lives or dies calls you to ask for money, it is going to be a part of the conversation, spoken or not.

There was legislation introduced this past Session calling for increased accountability of inauguration fund raising and expenses. Not surprisingly, it didn’t get very far. I don’t know if Gov. Holden didn’t support it because of his current situation or because it was introduced by a republican. Either reason is unacceptable.

As usual, I 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.

Musical Devotees To Visit
The Opera.

news release

Opera of the Ozarks, located at Eureka Springs, AR, will perform "Madama Butterfly," by Puccini in Fayetteville on Thursday, June 28th at 8 p.m. in the air-conditioned Walton Arts Center.

Carthage Musical Devotees is sponsoring a bus trip to attend the performance. The cost of the trip is $50, which includes transportation from Carthage or Joplin, dinner at AQ Chicken House and a reserved seat at the opera. The bus will leave Grace Episcopal Church parking lot, Carthage at 3:30 p.m. and will depart Sam’s parking lot (southwest corner) at 4:00 p.m. It will return following the performance.

Reservation deadline has been extended to June 20. Additional bus seating is available. Send check made payable to Carthage Musical Devotees to Caryl MacMorran, 1220 S. Main St., Carthage, MO 64836.

Each summer talented young semi-professional and college age musicians attend Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony to study and produce operas June 22 through July 21. All other performances are held on site in their outdoor theatre.

For more information call Ms. MacMorran, (417) 358-2259 or Mary L. Estes, (417) 358-4693.

Area Insurance Agencies Merge.

news release

Janet Garvin, Phil Garvin Insurance Corp., Inc. and Steve Beimdiek, Beimdiek Insurance Agency, Inc. have announced the merger of their respective insurance operations.

The new company will have offices in Carthage, Joplin, Neosho and Springfield, Missouri. Garvin Insurance will continue its operations at 1509 Main Street, Joplin, MO.

Beimdiek Insurance Agency founded in 1936 is owned by G. Stephen Beimdiek. The agency is the largest locally owned agency in Southwest Missouri providing insurance management services for personal and commercial insurance clients. The agency employs 28 sales support and administrative employees. Separate Personal, Business, Employee Benefits, Professional Liability and Safety Compliance Services divisions are responsible for sales and service to agency clients. Additionally, the agency also provides self-insured Employee Benefit and Workers Compensation consulting services.

Phil Garvin Insurance Corp., Inc. was formed in 1952 and was owned and operated by Phil Garvin. They provide Personal, Business, Health and Life insurance programs. In making this announcement Janet Garvin stated, "The new combined organization will represent a larger group of insurance companies and offer more services to out policyholders. This merger allows us to stay abreast of the latest insurance products and technology available in our industry."

Steve Beimdiek stated, "This affiliation will be a big benefit to our customers. The combined resources will continue a commitment to excellent client service and innovative insurance program management. The excellent staff from Garvin Agency will be a tremendous asset to our company. We will continue to develop other strategic partnerships with organizations that share our vision and offer specialized resources."

Beimdiek Agency participates in marketing partnerships with Arm/Gallagher Partners, Sitkins 100, Agency Peak Performance Exchange and Associated Risk Managers of Mid America.

Just as a note, ya might have noticed that our volume number on the front page changed from a IX to a X yesterday. We are now officially in our tenth year of publication. (most folks tend ta think we’ve been around for a hunderd years or so.)

The first issue of the Mornin’ Mail hit the streets on June 18, 1992. The operation got pushed out of the livin’ room and into a commercially zoned location around October of that year over on Central. A move a couple a years later to Main just south of the Square, and for the last couple years here in the old Police Department buildin’ on Lyon.

We have managed to never miss a scheduled publication day. Just Jake has been in every issue as has "today’s laugh." The "hunderd years ago" column began in 1893 (now 1901). Plenty of it for what it is.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

byJudith Sheldon

FACTS ABOUT FATS: The most talked-about dietary factors, fats and cholesterol, are often misunderstood.

Here’s a simplified description taken from a Consumer Information release from the United States General Service Administration:

There’s "good" cholesterol (HDL) and "bad" cholesterol (LDL). Cholesterol is carried in our blood by lipoproteins, which are chemical compounds made up of fats and protein.

If you see the prefix, lipo, used in a word, you can assume fat is involved. Liposuction, for example, means sucking out fat in a plastic surgery procedure.

When a lipoprotein contains more fat than protein, it’s called a low density lipoprotein, or LDL. This cholesterol is more likely to deposit fatty buildup in the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks. This is why it’s called the "bad" cholesterol.

HDL cholesterol can actually help reduce the overall amount of cholesterol in the blood, which means it can protect against heart disease. So, of course, this is the "good" cholesterol.

Have your cholesterol levels checked regularly by your doctor. To lower your risk of heart disease, keep your cholesterol level below 200; your LDL cholesterol under 130.