Today's Feature

Parade Float Winners.

News release

The following list contains the winners of this year’s Maple Leaf Festival Parade float competition.

• Sweepstakes Award- Butterball

Sweepstakes is granted to the Most Outstanding unit of the parade. It must portray the theme, be attractive, show exceptional artistic value, and overall outstanding workmanship.

• Artistic Achievement- Charles Burt Homefolks

Artistic Achievement is based upon surpassing artistic value and creativity, both in the uniqueness of the idea and the materials used.

• Community Image (adult)- McCune-Brooks Hospital

• Community Image (youth)- Carthage FFA

Community Image will be presented to the best-decorated units entered by non=profit organizations that promote goodwill and community pride, such as and including civic clubs, churches, and educational organizations. Floats will be judged on theme, creativity, attractiveness and workmanship.

• Special Recognition Award- Victory Academy

Special Recognition is presented to the unit which the Judges feel merits extra recognition. This award may not be given to a winner of any other category. This criteria for this award lies solely with the Judges.

• Chamber’s Choice- 4-H

Chambers Choice is an honor selected by a Chamber appointed committee, which also determines this award’s criteria. Floats should promote the Carthage area and effectively portray the image of the festival.

Committee May Offer Endorsement.

The Carthage City Council will meet this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Items on the agenda include the second reading of an ordinance to accept federal aid for the replacement of the Oak Street Bridge.

During the first reading of this item, Public Works committee chair Tom Flanigan told Council that the committee did not offer a recommendation for the ordinance due to concerns about the replacement. Flanigan said that the committee felt further inspection should be conducted to determine whether it is necessary to tear down and rebuild the historic structure, or whether it would be possible to do repairs to the current bridge.

The Public Works Committee met last week with a representative from Sprenkle & Associates, the engineer to the City. During the course of discussion it was decided that the condition of the bridge is bad enough that a complete replacement is warranted. It was also mentioned that the shape of the bridge when replaced will relatively unchanged. The committee agreed to offer a recommendation for the replacement of the bridge during the second reading of the ordinance.

Stench Report:

Monday,
10/23/06

No Stench detected on the
Carthage Square

Only a couple a weeks ‘fore the election on November 7, but don’t forget that Halloween is ‘tween now and then.

This year the Square will again welcome families for the annual Halloween get-together sponsored by Carthage Chamber of Commerce and the merchants. I hear a costume contest will again be held ‘fore the treatin’ begins. It’s a great chance to get downtown and check out the new and established businesses. Don’t be scared.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

A Pinch of Salt Is More Than Enough

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have high blood pressure and am on a low-salt diet. I would like to know how many milligrams of salt I can have in a day. It seems as though everything you buy has salt in it. Please give some information on this. -- J.D.

ANSWER: You’re right. Just about everything has salt in it, and we eat far too much of it. Only about 11 percent of the salt we take in comes from the saltshaker on the table. Even so, take the saltshaker off the table so you’re not tempted to use it. Around 12 percent of our salt intake is part of food, a part that happens to have salt in it from nature. The rest, 77 percent, comes from processed foods like luncheon meats and from commercial soups and such foods.

Salt is sodium chloride, NaCl. The limit for salt is set at 6,000 mg a day. A better limit is 3,700 mg, the amount you should aim for and the amount that everyone would be wise to adopt. For reference purposes, one teaspoon holds 5,800 mg of salt.

Confusion arises when speaking about salt. Quite often, the salt content of food and dietary guidelines for it are given as milligrams of sodium (Na). To change milligrams of salt (sodium chloride) to milligrams of sodium, divide by 2.5. A healthy diet, one with 6,000 mg of salt, has 2,400 mg of sodium and an even healthier diet, one with 3,700 mg of salt, has 1,500 mg of sodium.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Mornin’ Mail.

It has been brought to my attention recently, that there are a lot of misconceptions concerning the Jasper County Law Enforcement Sales Tax (LEST), and the way money is handled. This article is an attempt to address and educate you on this issue.

I have heard it said several times during the current local political campaign, that the Sheriff has an "Unlimited windfall of money forever". If this is the case, why report budgetary compliance to the County Commissioners? My Webster’s Dictionary defines a windfall as, "1. Something, as a ripened fruit, blown down by the wind. 2. A sudden, unexpected piece of good luck or unanticipated personal gain". I don’t understand how the term "Unlimited windfall of money forever" applies to the businesses I administer. The "piece of good luck", is the fact I was successful in raising over $50,000.00 to pay for a Law Enforcement Sales Tax issue that benefits Jasper County General Revenue by $500,000.00 annually. Let me remind you, that we the, "Jasper County Citizens for a Safer Community", raised the money because the Jasper County Commission refused to fund the election. Further, the "unanticipated personal gain" could be the "self satisfaction" received from successfully raising the money to pay for the election, getting it on a ballot, and convincing the voters of Jasper County to approve the issue. We can now see the results of that LEST approval returned to Jasper County to supplement and upgrade the operations of the Sheriff’s Office and County Jail. With this additional source of revenue, I can do the job better that my position requires, to protect the citizens of Jasper County. We can also furnish and equip a more professional and better trained law enforcement agency to do just that. My employees no longer have to live on poverty wages. They are "proud" to serve the citizens of their county. I promised you the voters who supported the Law Enforcement Sales Tax that’s what I would do, and I am living up to my promise.

Now to the issue of how the money is handled. Simply put, like a big business. Let me remind you or educate you to the fact I actually run two businesses, a County Jail, and a Sheriff’s Office. Annually, I prepare three (3) budgets, two (2) from General Revenue money, and one (1) from Law Enforcement Sales Tax (LEST) money. The two budgets from General Revenue are for the County Jail, and Sheriff’s Office. I combine the Jail and Sheriff’s Office in the LEST budget for simplicity sake. These three (3) budgets are prepared, then given to the County Auditor. He reviews them and passes them to the County Commissioners for approval. When bills are paid from these budgets, General Revenue and LEST, I sign them and pass them to the Auditor who then passes them to the Commission for approval. My businesses are operated the same way all other Jasper County departments are operated, by a budget.

Some people are telling you things like, "The Sheriff has a blank checkbook on his desk, and spends what he wants, when he wants". You know now, that’s simply not the truth. I know of NO business like this business that has a "Blank checkbook", and anyone who has previously served as a County Commissioner knows that’s not the truth. Furthermore, the same former Presiding Commissioner has said a panel of citizens should be appointed to tell the Sheriff how to spend the tax money. There is a committee that does just that, it’s called the "System" composed of the County Auditor and the three Commissioners. As an elected Sheriff, it is my responsibility to oversee and administer the operations of this department, and that’s what I’m doing. When you compare my budget and number of employees to all other law enforcement agencies in Jasper County, you will see the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is still the most efficient department of all.

If you are a Jasper County voter and have questions about this department and our operations, please feel free to contact me at 417-358-8177 or 417-624-1601. I will be happy to meet with you as time allows.

Jasper County Sheriff

Archie Dunn