Today's Feature

Flu Shots Still Available.

The Jasper County Health Department, 105 Lincoln Street in Carthage, has flu vaccine available for children and adults. Persons seeking the flu vaccine do not need to be residents of Jasper County to obtain the vaccination. The cost of the flu vaccine is $20.00. Those that have Medicare and/or Medicaid should bring their card to their appointment. Appoints may be made by calling the Jasper County Health Department at 417-358-3111 or 877-879-9131. Vaccinations are also available on a walk-in basis.

JOPLIN MINE OPENING TO BE CLOSED.

News release

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is overseeing the closing of two dangerous mine shaft openings from abandoned lead and zinc mining operations in Jasper and Newton counties.

The shaft openings are located on private property and pose a safety hazard to landowners and citizens. The shafts are the result of lead and zinc mining in the area from 1848-1970.

The department awarded the contract to Kennedy Contractors Inc. in Springfield to complete the Emerald Coyote Lead and Zinc Shaft Closure Project. One of the openings is located approximately three miles southwest of Joplin in Newton County. The second opening is located approximately four miles northwest of Joplin in Jasper County.

The contractor will seal the openings with a polyurethane and concrete plug. The contractor will first excavate the shaft to expose the limestone bedrock ledge and then place a polyurethane foam plug in the shaft. A steel-reinforced concrete plug will then be placed over this. The concrete plug will rest on limestone. The shaft will then be backfilled with nearby rock and soil and the shaft locations will be marked with a monument.

The Federal Abandoned Mine Land Fund will pay for the cost of the mineshaft closings. This fund was created for abandoned mine land projects through a surcharge on each ton of coal mined in the United States as authorized by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining collects funds and disburses them to state and tribal abandoned mine land programs.

The Federal Office of Surface Mining and Missouri’s Land Reclamation Commission authorized expense of Missouri abandoned mine land funds for reclamation of dangerous non-coal mineshafts.

Previous studies and inventories conducted on the lead and zinc areas in southwest Missouri indicate the possible existence of many more mine openings. The department is anticipating future abandoned mine land funds will be available on a limited basis to close additional dangerous shafts.

The Department of Natural Resources encourages citizens to report open shafts by contacting the department’s Land Reclamation Program by calling 1-800-361-4827 or (573) 751-4041 or by sending an e-mail to mining@dnr.mo.gov.

Stench Report:

Friday,
12/8/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

Fast food feedin’ troughs are in fact a reflection of today’s society. The demise of the dinner hour came as a result of a raised standard of livin’ allowed us to view food as more of a type of entertainment than the substance of our existence.

When 90% of the population lived on farms, food represented almost the entire efforts of their labor. The dinner hour was the celebration of their daily accomplishments. Instant gratification.

It may be romantic to think of slowin’ down to the pace of a horse drawn plow, but I doubt that many today would trade the aroma of a Domino’s pizza for the smell of a cow patty.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Workshop Basics

Q: I finally put together a small workshop in the garage: table, tools, pegboard, the works. Do you have any cost-effective tips to make the workspace even better? -- Janice W., El Paso

A: There are as many tips on maximizing your workshop space as there are days in the year (and then some). Whether they are useful depends on the unique characteristics of the space you’ve developed -- its size, the amount of table and wall space around you, and the type of work you plan to do.

I have a few tips that should fit anyone’s requirements, though. Try out these low-cost additions to your workspace.

• Use empty shoeboxes to carry tools and supplies to and from a project. Place just the tools you need and any parts, nuts and bolts into the box. The box can also hold parts you’ve removed until you need them again.

• Buy an assortment of plastic food containers to use as storage -- not just around the workspace, but in your toolbox as well. The new "disposable" plastic containers are inexpensive and see-through, so you can identify items like nails, drill bits and so on. Some wholesale clubs stock multi-container sets at very affordable prices.

• Place a ruler or yardstick along one edge of the workbench and tape or nail it in place. When you need to measure something in a jiffy, just place it against the ruler and mark it.

• Craft sticks (also known as Popsicle sticks) should be kept on hand at all times, so buy a large box of them. They can be used for several things, such as smoothing putty seams or mixing epoxy, or as padding between clamp jaws and the item being anchored.

• A foam block (available at hardware and craft stores) attached to your work table is very useful. Stick items like screwdrivers, knives, screws or nails into the block to hold them temporarily as you work.

• If there’s a spot you like to place larger tools like hammers or chisels while you’re working, but the tools keep sliding off or away from it, attach a scrap piece of carpet (use nails or a staple gun) to that area. It’ll keep the tools in place until you need them.

• Paint the pegboard and work surface white, so that small items show up better.

HOME TIP

Clean grease or oil stains off of the garage floor or the driveway by pouring baking soda over them. Let the baking soda stand overnight, then sweep away.