| Today's Feature Blunt's Alternative to Mail.
Washington, D.C. —
Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt reports,
"The Seventh District Congressional offices
in Washington, Springfield and Joplin are open,
but the Washington office is not receiving mail
or package deliveries because of the threat from
chemical toxins". Ricin, a deadly poison,
was found Monday in mail sent to the Senate
Offices of Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN),
forcing the closure of all three Senate Office
Buildings and a halt to all
mail and package deliveries to Capitol Hill. The
FBI confirms ricin was also sent to the White
House in November 2003.
"Until mail security
problems are resolved in Washington, there are
still several ways to effectively communicate
with me in Washington, including fax, telephone,
and email. Time-sensitive items that must be
mailed should be sent to the Springfield and
Joplin congressional offices," Blunt said.
All mail addressed to Capitol
Hill is now being held in quarantine to ensure
it is not contaminated. Mail
and package deliveries have been suspended to
Capitol Hill pending the federal search for the
source of deadly poison. Anthrax mailed to a
Senator’s office in 2001 killed two
Washington postal workers and infected others,
and forced a similar delay in mail deliveries.
"Our offices are all open
for business, and it continues to be important
that citizens be able to communicate with their
Congressional offices. Only our ability to
receive mail in one of three offices has been
temporarily halted," Blunt said.
HOW TO CONTACT CONGRESSMAN
BLUNT
Email: blunt@mail.house.gov
<mailto:blunt@mail.house.gov>
Washington, DC
Office Phone: 202-225-6536
Fax: 202-225-5604
Springfield Office
2740-B East Sunshine,
Springfield, MO 65804
Phone: 417-889-1800
Fax: 417-889-4915
Joplin Office
101 Rangeline, Joplin, MO 64801
Phone: 417-781-1041
Fax: 417-781-2832
Rural Life and
Landscapes.
By Lee Sours, artCentral
This week a high school Fashion
and Design class stopped by my studio. A fine
bunch of youth. I took them all the way from
shearing, to spinning to warping and weaving.
Probably more than they ever wanted to know about
those processes.
Presently at artCentral’s
Hyde House Main gallery we have the watercolors
and acrylics of Joe Prater of Joplin, MO. A lot
of us can relate to his scenes of the hay
harvest.
Prater was born in Tuskahoma,
OK and is of Choctaw and English descent. He
studied art in Parsons, Ks and at Missouri
Southern. He has been interested in art for most
of his life however he is now able to devote his
effort toward painting on a full time basis.
He has enjoyed participating in
early western photo shoots. This is where people
dress in authentic period clothing, ride horses,
play cards in the saloon, etc. for the benefit of
photographers wanting to obtain shots of that
subject matter.
Upstairs in the Members’
Gallery the oil paintings of Gary Younger are now
on view. This Noel, MO artist does paintings of
the beautiful scenery of his area such as rivers
and bluffs. These exhibits continue through
February 27.
Currently at Shellie’s
restaurant the oils and pastels of Judy Maurer
are on display. Horse lovers will really love
this exhibit. She has depictions of landscapes,
cattle drinking in a stream, and draft horses and
mules. Her exhibit will continue to April 18.
HOURS: T – F 11 - 5
Sunday 12 -5 Closed Mon. and
Sat.
1110 E 13th • 358-4404
ozarkartistscolony.com
Promoting Missouri
Agriculture.
Many people are unaware
Missouri is home to more than 100,000 farms -
that’s second highest number of any state in
the nation. The agriculture industry is the
foundation of our state’s economy and
government must make ag legislation a priority.
That’s why this week the
House of Representatives passed three bills
designed to reduce cumbersome regulations and
create opportunities for farmers to improve their
businesses through value-added products. This
legislation will put in place guidelines
requiring justification for making new
regulations for farmers and ranchers. It requires
that all local rules take into account sound
scientific evidence, not merely emotion or
conjecture. The measures also address the issue
of agriculture tax credits allowing them to be
used on a quarterly basis which makes them more
valuable.
This year’s early
introduction and consideration of the agriculture
bills has not been seen in the past. Usually, ag
bills are not debated until late in the session
and typically have other issues attached to them.
This makes the legislation more difficult to pass
and often results in the measure never becoming a
law.
By addressing the concerns of
the agriculture community so early in the
legislative session, the House is demonstrating
its commitment Missouri’s ag industry. This
body understands the importance of supporting and
promoting this vital sector of our state’s
economy.
The issues addressed during Ag
Week were not picked at random. These topics were
chosen as top priorities for the farming
community by Speaker Catherine Hanaway’s
Agriculture Task Force. This group of farm
leaders from across the state identified key
areas needing immediate legislative action and
provided guidance on how to address them.
The three main issues tackled
during Ag Week were environmental rules,
concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO),
and quarterly tax credits. The measure dealing
with environmental rules brings more consistency
to the rule making process, which will help
attract and retain businesses in our state. There
have been counties in Missouri that enacted laws
restricting CAFOs from expanding or locating in
the area without reasonable justification. This
new legislation will require regulations to be
based on a regulator impact report. Finally,
allowing quarterly tax credits will improve the
utilization of these value-added investment
incentives and help farmers put more money into
their businesses.
The steps taken to support
agriculture this week are only the beginning.
More farm-related legislation will likely be
considered this session and the Agriculture Task
Force has only begun its work. Addressing the
needs of those who provide our food and fiber is
one of the high points of serving our state.
RepresentativeBryan P. Stevenson
Local Authority to
Present Nex Perce Indians Program.
Neosho, Mo. — Retired East
Newton High School principal and Nez Perce Indian
authority Don Johnson will give a presentation at
the Genealogy Friends of the Library (GFOL)
meeting at 7:00 p.m. Monday, February 9, 2004 in
the Community meeting room of the Newton County
Sheriff’s Department. The meeting room is
located upstairs off the foyer. An elevator is
available. Light refreshments will be served.
Before coming to this area,
Johnson worked with the Nez Perce while employed
by the Montana National Parks Service at the Big
Hole National Battlefield. He and his wife still
do volunteer work summers at the Battlefield. In
addition to his service as teacher, coach and
principal, Johnson has been a member of the
Neosho-Newton County Library Board for almost two
years.
Johnson has given many lectures
and programs about Nez Perce culture, the
tribe’s interaction with the Lewis and Clark
expedition, and the Nez Perce war of 1877 when
the tribes fought unsuccessfully to maintain
their land. Part of Johnson’s presentation
will include Nez Perce artifacts and articles of
daily life.
According to a Minnesota State
University Emuseum web site, the Nez Perce
Indians were once the largest congregation of
tribes in the western United States. It further
reports that approximately 17,000,000 acres of
Nez Perce land was taken by white settlers moving
westward in the 1800s.
The Genealogy Friends of the
Library is a genealogical society whose purpose
is to promote interest in the field of genealogy
through educational programs; to collect and
disseminate genealogical knowledge and
information; and to provide volunteers and
financial support for the genealogy room of the
Neosho Newton County Library, 201 West Spring
Street, Neosho, Missouri. Through membership
dues, fees, contributions and fund raising
activities throughout the year, the acquisition
of books, microfilm, microfiche, equipment and
furnishings for the genealogy room is made
possible.
Regular membership meetings are
held the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m.
Planned programs of genealogical and historical
interest are a part of each meeting. Visitors are
always welcome.
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