Heating Assistance.

According to a media release by Missouri Gas Energy, beginning this week, additional help to pay energy bills is available for low-income customers of MGE. Eligibility requires that customers be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. The 200% of poverty guideline income for a family of 1 is $1,552 a month, family of 2 is $2082 and a family of four is $3,142 per month.

MGE recently received permission from the Missouri Public Service Commission to redistribute $250,000 from an experimental low-income plan in the area to the Mid America Assistance Coalition.

The MAAC is a non-profit corporation and administers a variety of energy fuel funds including MGE’s Neighbors helping Neighbors program, received the funds last week. The assistance funds, called Extra Help will be distributed through the MAAC to 34 assistance agencies throughout MGS’s service area.

MGE distributes natural gas to approximately 500,000 customers in 155 towns in central and western Missouri.

To apply for assistance from the funds, customers of MGE should call 816-561-3339.

FFA Fundraiser.

The Carthage Future Farmers of America has twenty-one of its students scheduled to attend the Washington Leadership Conference in June. Students will spend a week utilizing life skills as they spend time with FFA members from across the United States.

The week is spent in a learning laboratory in Washington, D.C. It is designed to help members

According to the WLC, the week will help students gain self-confidence and leadership skills to bring back and apply it at the local level with fellow FFA members, schools, and the Carthage community.

The Carthage FFA members that will be attending the WLC will be hosting a Chili and Soup Feed on Friday March 5th at the First Christian Church Lighthouse from 5:30 p.m. till 8 p.m. There will also be a silent action ending at 7:45 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Carthage FFA to help fund the members attending. The Soup and Chili Feed costs are $5 for ages 15 and over, ages 5 to 14 will be $3, 4 and under are free.

Mornin'

I don’t know if anyone ever actually made a covered wagon with a sail on it. Seems I’ve seen drawings of one but have never actually heard of anyone really tryin’ to make it work. With all the talk of "hybrid" automobiles, looks like the idea should be gettin’ consideration. Specially for days like yesterday. Skate boards look like a good application for land sailin’ also.

Capturin’ the power of the wind is an old idea of course. The Dutch with their wind mills, the Vikings with their sail boats.

The open sea may be the best place to practice wind power, mainly ‘cause ya have lots a room and don’t have to travel in a straight line for any distance. Folks tryin’ to navigate with a sail down I-44 would be interestin’, but I’m guessin’ most would not be able to dodge the pot holes.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Be Still My Restless Legs

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When I retire for the night, almost as soon as I am in bed I develop peculiar sensations in my legs, and they keep me from falling asleep. If I do fall asleep, later in the night the same feelings waken me. I have to get up and walk around. I am losing hours of precious sleep, and I am tired all day. What is this? — W.B.

ANSWER: Your symptoms fit the profile of restless leg syndrome — RLS. It is not a rare bird. More than 12 million other North Americans endure what you are enduring.

People describe the sensations as feeling like an army of ants is crawling in the legs; like pins and needles; or as though a carbonated beverage is flowing through the legs. This almost always happens when a person lies down or rests in a chair. In addition to the strange sensations, many people’s legs feel twitchy, and for some the legs repeatedly kick their bedmate. Those movements are called PLMD — periodic limb movement disorder.

The sleep disruption caused by RLS makes people chronically tired.

In some RLS patients, an anemia or a low blood iron level exists. For them, iron supplements end the problem. Others might have kidney disease, nerve troubles or diabetes. Treatment for those people is directed at the primary problem. Most, however, have no associated illness.