Hispanic Population Growth In Rural Ozark Counties.

News release from the University Extension Office.

The population of Hispanics living in Missouri increased from 61,702 in 1990 to 118,592 in 2000 - an increase of 92 percent. In southwest Missouri, the Hispanic population actually increasedby over 1,000 percent in some counties.

According to Daryl Hobbs, professor emeritus or rural sociology, Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis, University of Missouri Outreach and Extension, all Missouri counties now have at least some Hispanic population

"Although Hispanics only account for 2.2 percent of Missouri's population, 79 of Missouri's 115 counties had a 2000 Hispanic population of at least 100," said Hobbs. "The uniform distribution of the Missouri Hispanic population is much greater than either African American or Asian."

It is also important to note that the Hispanic population is not a racial group. It is counted by the Census as an ethnic group. As a result, more than half the Missouri 2000 Hispanic population reported themselves as white.

The third largest urban concentration of Hispanics is found in Greene County, which had a population of 1,775 in 1990 but 4,434 in 2000, an increase of 150 percent.

"Some of the most dramatic Hispanic population growth occurred in a number of rural counties, especially those in southwest and northwest Missouri," said Hobbs.

The most significant increases from 1990 to 2000 occurred in McDonald County (from 121 to 2,030 - an increase of 1,577 percent); Barry County (from 152 to 1,713 - an increase of 1,027 percent); Jasper County (from 797 to 3,615 - an increase of 353 percent); and Lawrence County (from 211 to 1,195 - an increase of 466 percent).

"Those counties have all attracted Hispanic workers as a result of major meat processing plants located in the county. Hispanic workers have migrated to those counties to take employment in the processing plants," Hobbs said.

An exception was Taney County in which the Hispanic population increased from 194 in 1990 to 962 in 2000, a 396 percent change. The attraction in Taney County has been the tremendous employment growth associated with the entertainment industry.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

Part of this column is a belated thank you to our Secretary of State for all he is doing and the rest is a shame on you to one of my colleagues.

Our own Secretary of State, Matt Blunt, is currently serving overseas in Operation Enduring Freedom. He is the only statewide elected official in the nation to be called up for active duty. I, for one, am extremely proud of him. There is little question that he could have claimed that his official duties as Secretary of State should keep him from being called up.

However, he never hesitated. He immediately reported for duty and is now stationed overseas as part of our ongoing war against the sickos that take innocent life and the countries that harbor them.

Through the use of email, fax, telephone, and snail mail, he has been able to oversee the day-to-day operations of his office. I think it is very admirable that he is still carrying out his duties to the people of Missouri while still serving his country. In addition, he is donating all of his military pay to charity, minus expenses, while he is on active duty. No one but the most partisan and catty of persons could help but be proud of what Secretary Blunt is doing.

Enter a House member by the name of Rick Johnson, a democrat from High Ridge. One of the duties of the Secretary of State’s office is to publish the Official State Manual, commonly known as the Blue Book. This year’s edition was more than 1500 pages in length and there have been about a dozen errors found in it. Ever since I have been in office, there have always been errors in each Blue Book published. In a book of that size, it is bound to happen. I remember one year that Mel Carnahan’s picture was accidentally used in place of Jim Talent’s. I honestly don’t remember anyone getting very worked about the typos in years past. As a side note, this year’s edition of the Blue Book came in $71,000.00 under budget.

There were a couple of errors in Rep. Johnson’s biography. Naturally, an apology was issued, but Rep. Johnson apparently couldn’t resist letting partisanship get the better of him. He said, "I guess that sort of thing happens when the Secretary of State is overseas". First of all, it is not like Secretary Blunt is there on a vacation, he is serving his country in a very worthwhile endeavor. Second, Secretary Blunt was not shipped out until work on the Blue Book was finished.

I, for one, am proud to say that Secretary Blunt is a friend of mine and that he has been, and is, doing a great job. I include both his official duties and military duties in that statement. For anyone to take a cheap shot at his military service would always be out of line, but in times like this, it is inexcusable.

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.

Supposed ta be a little windy this week. Prob’ly not good for typical kite flyin’, but for the adventurous, it might be time to get the box kite out.

Our neighborhood used ta have informal contests to see who could get the kites up the highest. After tiein’ a couple a rolls of string together, the problem was the saggin’ string. A friend came up with a solution, ya tie another kite on ta help support the weight of the string. On one exceptional evenin’, we had three kites in the air on the same length of string, each kite separated by the two rolls of string. The first kite could barely be seen hangin’ out over the Wilson’s barn about a mile away. The kites were still up come dark. Nobody figured the couple bucks spent on the apparatus was worth reelin’ it all in. I know I got my fifty cents worth.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

by Judith Sheldon

FOLIC ACID: Evidence that folic acid helps prevent many types of birth defects continues to come in from studies around the world.

According to an article in the January issue of CRN News, a publication of the Council of Responsible Nutrition, researchers in Ireland found that the risk of babies being born with Spina Bifida, or other neural tube birth defects was linked to the folate levels in the mothers’ red blood cells.

This is one of the more recent studies done over several years. It points up the importance of encouraging increased folate consumption by fortifying flour or other food staples with folic acid.

(Folic acid is a B vitamin that can be round naturally in green leafy vegetables and other foods.)

CANCER AND VIRUSES: There is increasing recognition of the link between some viruses and various forms of cancer.

An article in the January issue of the UT Lifetime Health Letter, a publication of the University of Texas Houston Health Center, notes that while viruses may not cause cancers, they can lower the body’s immunity to many diseases, including some forms of cancer.