Mornin' Mail

The Mornin' Mail is published every weekday except major holidays
Friday, December 30, 2005 Volume XIV, Number 136

Did Ya Know?... The Carthage Public Library will be closed Monday, January 2 for the New Year’s holiday.

Did Ya Know?... The Carthage Recycling and Drop-Off Center and Composting Lot will be closed Saturday, December 31 in observance of New Year’s Day.

Did Ya Know?... Central Pet Care Clinic now has four loving cats that need homes for the Holidays. All three have had their vaccinations and have already been neutered. These are really nice cats that deserve a loving caring home. Get an application at Central Pet Care Clinic, 224 West Central Ave. or for more info call 417-358-1300.

today's laugh

The popular ‘70s band Kiss reunited for a concert at Dodger Stadium. They gave away the Kiss Mobile, a car equipped with Kiss floor mats, embroidered seat inserts, and Kiss hubcaps. This car is going to be worth a lot of money twenty years ago. - Colin Quinn

That would be cool if you could eat a good food with a bad food and the good food would cover for the bad food when it got to your stomach. Like you could eat a carrot with an onion ring and they would travel down to your stomach, then they would get there and the carrot would say, "It’s cool, he’s with me." - Mitch Hedberg

1905
INTERESTING MELANGE.
A Chronological Record of Events as they have Transpired in the City and County since our last Issue.

No Sinecure.

Stenographers of High Railroad Officials Have A Strenuous Time of it.

A Carthage young man who has had considerable experience with stenography in high railroad officialdom, says that what appears to an outsider as a snap is nothing of the sort. His experience leads him to believe that the ordinary office stenographer has the better of the two jobs.

"One would think," he said, "that traveling about from one part of the system to another would be a delightful experience. It is a good deal like the locomotive fireman appears to the boy in the country town - nothing to do but sit in his cab and ring the engine bell. There is nothing to indicate to the boy the hard work of shoveling coal the fireman has to do before he gets into town.

"The railroad official’s private secretary appears about his home town, wearing good clothes, with plenty of money to spend. In reality his work from the time he begins his trip to the finish, and sometimes for long hours after without resting a minute, is never caught up with. He travels thousand of miles, sometimes through the most beautiful, without getting one opportunity to glance up from his work. There is that continual, "Dear Sir, I beg to inform you," and such like with the constant of the typewriter. He eats when he can - more often a cold snack without coffee - and sleeps whenever he can get caught up long enough to justify him in taking a little time away from his typewriter, which is often long past midnight.

"Once in a while the monotony is broken by a hard contact of the cars which knocks his typewriter from its sockets and sends it flying across the floor, making work for himself and a repair man, and always getting a hot blast for his "carelessness."

"The office stenographer may get tired of his boss and think he is living in an atmosphere of monotony that is killing, but let him take one trip with a high railroad official, and he will long for the easy comforts of his old office job. In railroad work it is hurry, hurry, and railroad speed in everything."

A.S. Dierdorff has purchased from Frank Edel two residence lost at the corner of Poplar and McGregor streets, paying $1500.

Today's Feature

RES Shut-Down Update.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received orders Wednesday afternoon from Missouri Governor Roy Blunt to temporarily stop the operations of Renewable Environmental Solutions (RES) in Carthage. On Thursday DNR finalized the wording of the cease and desist order to be delivered to the office at RES (see DNR Order inside). DNR employee Connie Patterson called this process the "how-to" of accomplishing the order passed by Blunt.

Carthage City officials were not aware of the Governor’s plans to shut the plant down until the news release had arrived. Mayor Kenneth Johnson on Wednesday evening said he heard about the decision first when he was called for a response from local news media. City Attorney David Mouton said that there have been complaints filed recently including December 7th when the DNR office got 23 complaint calls. Mouton added that he did not know that the Governor was intending to halt the operations of the plant.

"I think it is very encouraging that the governor is interest in helping us down here," said Mouton. DNR has had the ability to order the closure even before given the directive from the governor, but had chosen not to take that route, according to Mouton.

RES converts animal by-products into oil in the Carthage facility. Raw materials used for this conversion process are provided by ConAgra Foods.

Renewable Environmental Solutions Response to Missouri Governor Action.

News release

Although we have not yet been provided with a copy of the order, we are shocked and disappointed with Governor Blunt’s statement that he has requested that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources temporarily close our plant in Carthage. There is already a process in place where the city of Carthage and the DNR have been working closely together to ensure that Renewable Environmental Solutions (RES) operations are appropriate. In fact, RES was scheduled to meet next week with the City and DNR.

With input from DNR and the City, we have invested heavily in engineered systems and equipment to ensure that the plant is operating optimally. RES is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen as we pursue our mission to commercialize a technology that can provide Carthage, the country and the world with an environmentally sound renewable source of energy.

DNR Order To RES.

"No one wants this to continue as it is," said DNR Director Doyle Childers. "RES has got to get this under control. We are trying to get them into compliance with Missouri air quality rules. While the state is not prone to rash action in shutting a company down, we have got to do something to improve the quality of life for citizens in the Carthage area." This is a section from the DNR news release issued Thursday evening.

The Cease and Desist order reads as follows:

"Pursuant to section 643.090.2 and 643.080.4, RSMo, of Missouri’s Air Conservation Law you are hereby notified that on this date the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) director is issuing this Cease and Desist Order and Suspension of Permit Order. Such Cease and Desist Orders are issued when the MDNR director determines that any person is discharging or causing to be discharged into the ambient air, any air contaminant that constitutes a clear and present danger to the public health or public welfare or the environment. Furthermore, you are hereby notified that on this date, the MDNR director is suspending Permit 082002-001, issued to RES on July 2, 2002. The director of the MDNR has the authority to order abatement, suspend or revoke a permit, as the director deems appropriate, if the director finds that conference, conciliation and persuasion has failed to correct or remedy any violation.

"Failure to comply with the Missouri Air Conservation Law and this Order may result in the initiation of a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction for injunctive relief to prevent any further violations and may result in the assessment of a penalty not to exceed $10,000 for each violation per day for each day, or part thereof, the violation continues to occur, as the court may deem proper."

Childers said that the order is a 60 day suspension during which time RES is to work with DNR to find potential solutions to the odor emission problem.

Courthouse Ceiling Damaged.

Thursday afternoon a section of ceiling fell to the ground in Jasper County Courthouse third floor hallway. According to Eastern District Commissioner Jim Honey some of the older plaster gave way and fell onto the drop-in ceiling causing it to fall as well. Honey said the custodian sized the piece to be approximately 10 feet by 10 feet. No one was harmed in the accident. Greninger Construction is in the process of repairing the ceiling. Honey said that the court rooms will be closed until Tuesday January 3 when the repairs are expected to be complete.

Stench Report:
Thursday,
12/29/05

No Stench Detected

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin'
The sky is fallin’ and it stinks.

After the governor ordered a shutdown of RES, a chunk of the Carthage Courthouse ceilin’ fell in. Some say it’s a just a coincidence. Others have conspiracy theories in mind.

Personally I don’t see the connection, but whatever the case, both problems need some immediate attention.

Looks like the fixin’ the ceilin’ is gonna be completed by next week. I doubt the odor subsides by then.

I’ll have ta say our reports of stench have been less frequent and definitely less offensive over the last few weeks. Hopefully all the attention gets those reports down to zero.

At least it looks like we’ll have a courthouse for the trial.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.