Today's Feature

Spradling Announces Candidacy.

James R. Spradling, a Carthage attorney, has announced that he is a candidate for Presiding Commissioner of the Jasper County Commission.

In announcing his candidacy Spradling, a Republican, issued the following statement;

"Unfortunately we have suffered, as a county, under a leaderless commission, a do-nothing commission. Now is the time for a change - a choice not an echo.

"As it sets forth in the Book of Proverbs ‘Where there is no vision - the people perish.’ Jasper County has no direction.

"This situation is not necessary.

"We do not need to spend $150,000.00 on a third study for a Juvenile Detention Center.

"We do not need to beg local foundations to replace the electrical system in the County Courthouse at Carthage and repair the ceiling of its third floor.

"We do not need the weekly nit-picking fits with the Sheriff to prove who controls the budget of the County.

"What we need is to involve the citizens of the County in the planning for the future.

"We need a new charter for the County to replace the duplication of services.

"We need our citizens to help us develop plans for connecting our major cities other than two four-lane highways.

"We need to plan for water and sewers in the unincorporated areas.

"We need a plan to replace the County Courts Building in Joplin.

"We need to plan for planning and zoning.

"But none of this can be accomplished without leadership by the Commission and the involvement of our citizens in accomplishing these goals and determining in what manner they will be financed.

"These matters may take years to accomplish, but if we don’t act now - our children, or we, will suddenly be faced with a tremendous expense that will be totally unnecessary.

"In closing, I want to say that we need a county disaster plan in place. It happened to Carl Junction and it could happen to Joplin, Carthage or Webb City. To depend on the Federal or State Government for help is similar to giving water to a drowning man.

"We, the citizens, must depend on ourselves to develop a disaster plan before it happens.

"As former Director of Revenue for Missouri, Jasper County Counselor, holder of a bachelor, master’s and juris doctor degrees and a teacher of Government at the University level since 1958, I am the one to give leadership and political understanding to the County Commission for the next four years."

Stench Report:
Tuesday,
3/28/06

No Smells

I was amazed when someone pointed out to me that frustration isn’t the result of not bein’ able to do somethin,’ but the result of knowin’ you can do somethin’, but for some reason it’s just not gettin’ done.

Frustration is havin’ a handle break on your shovel ‘bout half way through diggin’ a hole. Or havin’ the computer crash just seconds before ya save those last few changes. Although throwin’ a broken shovel handle halfway down the block can relieve some of that tension, I wouldn’t recommend the same remedy in the case of the computer.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "When taking lunch or an overnight break while painting, tie a plastic bread bag over the roller and/or paint brush. This will keep the brush or roller loaded, and you won’t have to take the time to completely clean it. When you resume painting, the brush and roller will be soft and as fresh as when you took your break." -- D.M. in New York

• Items traditionally on sale in April: Spring clothing.

• "If you have a family member who would like a cell phone for emergencies but has a limited budget, consider pooling minutes in a family plan. We did this with my mother-in-law, and since the provider allows unlimited calls from one mobile number to another, she can talk with us anytime. She only dips into the minutes when traveling or in an emergency. We didn’t even have to raise the number of minutes we share!" -- S.L. in Missouri

• "A group of friends and I have a monthly dinner date. We meet at either a restaurant or one of the group’s houses to share dinner and conversation, and keep in touch. One thing we have always done is to each bring a book that we have read in the last month. We exchange them and always have a great story to look forward to, in addition to great friends." -- H.W. in California

• You can remove nail-polish stains by dampening a white paper towel or cotton ball with nail-polish remover. Press the stain with the remover (don’t rub), and repeat with a clean piece of the dampened towel until the stain is gone.

• To sterilize your kitchen sponge, simply wet it, microwave it for three to four minutes, then let it air dry.