Today's Feature

Christmas Parade.

The 34th annual Carthage Christmas Parade was held Monday evening on the Carthage square. The parade was well-received by an audience surrounding the entirety of the square despite cold temperatures.

Awards were given to several entries including the Joplin High School Band for best senior high school band and South Middle School band, Joplin for the best junior high band. The parade was sponsored by the Carthage chapter of the Skills USA Club.

Timeless Historic Square.

The Jasper County Courthouse clock is one step closer to being a functional timekeeper again. According to Western District Commissioner Darius Adams a repair man was to inspect the clock on Tuesday evening. The repairs are to be done by John Russo. Whether or not the clock the repair could be completed at the same time was unknown due to the unknown cause for its stopping. The clock has been broken tor over a month and has for that duration shown the time to be 12:15.

Stench Report:
Tuesday,
12/6/05

Minor Stench in Afternoon

I’m beginnin’ to think that the "information age" is gettin’ a little too big for it’s briches. Too much information.

I grew up hearin’ that knowledge was power but I’m thinkin’ maybe it’s the application of knowledge that is more accurate. Knowledge without some function is like a big blunt baseball bat leanin’ against the wall. Not much use unless someone picks it up and applies it to the backside of a baseball.

Maybe the real point is that there is a difference between information and knowledge. Most of the information we all sift through each day gets put in the trash bin. I’m needin’ an info waste management team.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "Whenever guests come to stay with us, we give them the ‘extra keys.’ We had a set of keys made for the house and put them on a key chain with our address written on it. We also make up a little map that can get them home from the major roads." — B.K. in Florida

• "Whenever I am going to have company, I start planning a week or two before by doubling up on recipes that freeze well. Casseroles and soups, as well as bread (I like to bake bread) and vegetable dishes work great. I make extras and freeze them to make dinnertime a snap; that way, I get to spend more time visiting and less time cooking." — F.L. in New York

• "We started making personal baskets for our guests a few years ago, and they have been a huge hit. We take a large basket and put in a few magazines or a book appropriate to the guest, a supply of towels, a few bottles of water and nice lotions. We also make sure each bedroom has an extra blanket, a working alarm clock and a night light." — C.B. in Illinois

• "I have a lot of nieces and nephews of various ages, but only two children. Whenever relatives with children come to visit, we try to line up a few local kids of the same age for our nieces and nephews to hang out with. We know some good children in the neighborhood and a few at church as well. It has been especially appreciated by the preteens and teenagers, as they really want to spend time with kids their own age, and the neighborhood kids are happy to welcome a visitor." — A.J. in South Carolina

• "My neighbor and I share a set of towels. Actually, whenever either of us has extended company, we borrow towels from one another so we don’t have to do laundry when we could be spending time with our guests. Towels seem to dirty quickly." — N.E. in Oregon