At the dinner Board President Ron Ferguson reported that last year 349 students attended the Family Literacy Council. Over half had less then a sixth grade education upon entrance. Student/Tutor contact hours were over 10,000 this last year. These numbers do not reflect Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) students studying within the AEL classroom.

Approximately 92% of the students are Hispanic, 5% are Caucasian and 3% are Asian. Students must be 16 to enter the program and the Literacy Council reported having students in their seventies. The average age ranges from 25-44 years old.

There were awards given out at the dinner. Some of these included Literacy Tutor of the Year which was received by Idotha Griffith and Volunteer of the year which was received by Carolyne Stinebrook. Executive Director Kim Snodgrass said thank you to not only those who received an award but to everyone who makes the Family Literacy Council a success.

I like drivin’ in this time a year. The weather is cool enough that the temptation to crank up the air conditioner is depleted and on occasion the window is actually down.

‘Course my early drivin’ experience was without temptation, at least as far as an air conditioner was concerned. Mainly ‘cause there wasn’t any.

A friend a mine used ta talk about his 4-60 air conditioner. Four windows down at 60 miles an hour.

‘Bout the worst situation was when it was rainin’ and the temperature still hovered over eighty. There were few options, but I can personally testify that stickin’ your head out the window to cool off in a rain storm at 60 miles per hour is not a good idea.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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by

Carthage Printing

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Q: Help! A family of raccoons moved in under the eaves of my house this winter. When I’m on the upper floor, I can hear them thumping around in the walls and the upper crawlspace. What’s the best way to get them out of there? — Joe T., Methuen, Mass.

A: The best way? Fast. Raccoons, squirrels and other unwanted outdoor guests can do major damage to your home’s insulation, wiring and walls. Allowing them to stay or "winter over" can be costly.

The trouble is, raccoons especially are rather smart critters. At one home I helped restore, a pair of raccoons actually chewed/clawed through the roof sheathing, bent back a shingle and propped it open with another piece of shingle for instant access to the crawlspace. At another home, squirrels and raccoons had chewed through the old plaster walls to gain access to the third floor. Turns out a former tenant had been feeding the wild creatures during the summer, and these fearless fellows moved right in when the weather cooled down.

Setting out poison, or placing it in the walls, might be a fast way to rid your home of critters, but it’s not the best. Rodents that consume the poison will most likely die inside the walls, out of your reach. And trust me, that "decomposing critter" odor will permeate every room of your house for a week or more. Additionally, the surviving rodents may learn to avoid the poison and go on with their busy lives.

Crawling through the attic or crawlspace with a pellet gun and pinging off intruders is also not advisable, for many reasons. The most likely result is that, in the dark, you’ll miss or only wound the critter; it will crawl off into the walls to die, and voila, you’ve got a smelly house again. Add to that the risk that you’ll hurt yourself or someone else with that gun and ... well, it’s not a good idea.

I recommend setting live traps and deterrents instead. These aren’t foolproof, but they will remove the problem without resorting to poison or otherwise harming the wild animal. Professional removal services are also advisable. The service will set traps, check them regularly (and move them if needed) and remove the animals once they are caught.

To deter wild creatures from moving in again, spray ammonia at their old entry/exit points daily while you repair the damage, and monthly throughout the spring, summer and fall in any areas that might provide an entry point or shelter for new animals.