Today's Feature

Bridge Replacement Funding Approved.

City Council at the meeting this week unanimously approved an ordinance accepting federal aid in the amount of $177,200 for the replacement of the Oak Street Bridge. This item is brought from the Public Works Committee and in its first reading, did not receive a recommendation from the committee. The absence of a recommendation was explained by Council member and Public Works Committee Chairman Tom Flanigan who cited the historic and nostalgic values of the bridge commonly referred to as the "whee" bridge.

During the second reading, Council member and Public Works Committee Chair Tom Flanigan said that new information had been presented to the committee concerning the bridge. He said that Jason Eckhart from Sprenkle & Associates, the City’s contract engineer, had spoken to the Public Works about the poor condition of the bridge. Eckhart said that the level of deterioration in the 1920’s bridge precipitated its being rebuilt. Flanigan also said that the design of the current bridge would be maintained, and that the committee would get to approve the degree of the "whee" for the replacement bridge.

With the new information received, the committee offered its recommendation for the acceptance of the funding.

Council member Ronnie Wells asked for a timeframe of when the construction would begin and end. Public Works Director Chad Wampler said that during construction season the work could take anywhere from 4 to 8 months, during which time a detour would be placed around the bridge.

Mayor Jim Woestman said it would be at least a year before the construction commences, as the engineer work for the replacement bridge has not been started yet.

Civil War Medicine Program.

Civil War programs are offered to the public this weekend free of charge. Civil War Medicine will be presented by park volunteers Harold Sites and Tim Field on Saturday, October 28, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at George Washington Carver National Monument. Learn about the medicinal treatments for the sick and wounded during the Civil War. This is a fascinating program for folks interested in American history.

A WAR OF SURPRISES: The American Civil War Sunday, October 29 you are invited to meet Civil War book author Doug Davee at George Washington Carver National Monument. Doug will present a program on the first Kansas Colored (African-American) Infantry Regiment and Southern Block-aid runners. He will talk about inventions and changes the war produced, plus many other interesting facts of the war. The program is from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Visitor Center.

George Washington Carver National Monument preserves the birthplace and childhood home of George Washington Carver, scientist, educator, and humanitarian.

The monument is located two miles west of Diamond, Missouri on Hwy V, then south ½ mile on Carver Road. For more information, call the park at 417-325-4151 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Stench Report:

Thursday,
10/26/06

No Stench detected on the
Carthage Square

Too bad most decisions aren’t that simple or as fair.

Other decision makers were of course the toss of a coin or drawin’ straws. No argument, just the luck of the draw.

I suppose the one main thing that makes these problem solvers work is the fact that they remove any logic or influence by those effected by the decision.

‘Course that doesn’t keep a youngster from spendin’ hours tryin’ to get a coin’ to land a certain way each throw. The fact is it’s near impossible to always toss a "heads." (at least for a twelve year old with lots of time on his hands.)

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

I take my cat to the vet to be dewormed at least once a year, if not twice and then I give him black walnut once a week just to keep down the parasites. Those who raise cattle, sheep, dogs, goats, etc. all are careful about ridding their animals of parasites or they may lose them to debilitating effects of the parasites. As much as we hate to talk about it, we are also potential hosts to parasites.

Although the most common cause for parasites can be poor sanitation, they may also be present in the fruits, vegetables, meats and water. Our pets and other people can pass us parasites. According to "Herbal Insights", "once in the body, parasites can settle almost anywhere, causing damage to organs, and blocking and sapping nutrients from the host." Bitter herbs have been used in traditional herbalism to treat a body with parasites. Often cloves have been taken in conjunction with these herbs to reduce gas and bloating which may be present in deworming formulas. Clove powder has traditionally been used to calm the stomach, promote bowel movement and aid digestive function. Also garlic can be of assistance in controlling parasites.

Formulas are available which make this process less intimidating. One does not have to do things the hard way, capsules can make it easy. As unpleasant a subject as this may be, one may think of us as "good hosts" and realize that it is a natural occurrence to be handled as simply as we handle a similar situation with our pets.

* This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. References available by request. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

artCentral
Art Notes from Hyde House
By Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

Things at the Hyde House have calmed down a bit since last week’s MAPLE LEAF celebration, and I want to thank my intern Alyson for being present in the galleries on Saturday and Sunday when we did enjoy the presence of several visitors and guests who enjoyed the art showing of Betsy Pauly’s beautiful landscapes. This show will remain hanging until the weekend of November 3rd so please make a point of coming by if you haven’t already done so to see the work.

Holiday time has begun and we are working towards our new show which will begin November 10th. Barbara Courtney from Oklahoma will be bringing some beautiful paintings in a show that we have entitled HOLIDAY TREASURES: Paintings for Christmas Pleasure! Barbara will be present on that opening evening for a festive evening and we will be decorated for Christmas. We want the house to look festive early in the season because of several special events being held during the run of the holiday show, and we would invite other groups who desire a place for holiday events to consider coming here.

Congratulations are in order to Carthage’s MARK TWAIN SCHOOL, Laurel Rosenthal, and the fine staff there. For many years they and their predecessors have produced fine students and community citizens and many in our community can claim to have attended there or been involved in parent activity. For 13 years my daughters were students at Mark Twain. As a "graduate parent" I still claim affiliation with the school. Last Sunday was celebrated another milestone anniversary, the school’s 90th, and I salute them for producing another quality piece of art in commemoration of the event. This is a beautiful black and white rendering of the building by Andy Thomas, and prints were sold that day and autographed by Andy for $10.00. In the past, artist Lowell Davis produced a beautiful colored painting of Mark Twain with himself in front as a young boy. This print is also still available, some autographed by Lowell, for $10.00. Both can still be purchased at the school I am told for the original price of $10.00 and would make wonderful Christmas gifts for former students. Stop by and view the originals and purchase a print. Best wishes to them!

It is always encouraging to artists when organizations around the community commission a piece of art to commemorate their event. Thanks to the many Carthage and area artists who step forward and accept these commissions, as they truly are using their gifts for the greater enjoyment of many. We all benefit when a piece of art, such a the sculptures in Central Park and the library garden, paintings in the courthouse and city hall and the Civil War Museum, the many paintings in our local banks and corporate headquarters, are made available for daily enjoyment by the public. These are in a way, mini-museums for all to enjoy!

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

Dear Jasper County Voter:

I hope you will give serious consideration to joining me in voting for Danny Hensley as Presiding Commissioner. If you will, it is important to remember that Danny has filed as a write-in candidate, and we need to write his name on the ballot and fill in the middle portion of the arrow that corresponds to the line on which we write his name.

Danny Hensley is exceptionally well-qualified to serve our county in this capacity. He served on the County Commission from 1984 to 2002, and intimately understands the complexities and duties of that office. His dedicated work in Jasper County’s road and bridge infrastructure, commitment to economic development, knowledge of governmental issues, and overall community involvement are valuable traits that will serve us well.

I have known Danny my entire life, and can attest to his honesty, integrity, and dedication as a steward of county funds.

Please write in "Danny Hensley" and connect the arrow by his name when you vote.

Best regards,

David Haffner