Today's Feature

MBH Topping Out Ceremony.

The new McCune-Brooks Hospital construction site was visited by approximately 200 visitors and interested Carthage citizens during Tuesday’s "topping out" ceremony. The ceremony commemorated the placement of the last piece of steel on the building, which signifies the building reaching its maximum height.

Lunch was served to the crowd, after which McCune-Brooks CEO Bob Copeland and others spoke about the construction process and the new building.

The beam was signed by construction workers, City officials and many citizens in attendance of the ceremony prior to its placement. Guided tours of the construction site were conducted after the final beam was put in place.

According to Copeland, the new approximately 135,000 square foot hospital building is slated to open in the Fall of 2007.

Not Chosen for DREAM.

According to a news release from State Senator Gary Nodler, Carthage was not chosen as a City receiving state assistance to redevelop its downtown area through Governor Matt Blunt’s DREAM initiative. Carthage approved a resolution to apply for the Downtown Revitalization Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) initiative program on July 25, 2006.

According to the news release there were 98 applicants for the initiative and 10 cities were chosen. Those chosen for the initiative include; Neosho, St. Joseph, Excelsior Springs, Sedalia, Cape Girardeau, West Plains, Hannibal, Hermann, Washington and Kennett.

Smith Speaks at CCEM Conference.

News release.

At the recent conference of the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri, Debra Smith, Director of Member Services with the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, was a featured speaker to the more than 90 conference attendees.

Speaking on the topic of "Show Me The Value", Debra focused on the Carthage Chamber’s Member-2-Member Discount Program and the HR Solution Center website which are valuable benefits available only to Carthage Chamber members. Debra was chosen as a featured speaker due to her extensive background and knowledge of these programs.

"It is a great honor to be selected as a speaker at a CCEM conference. We hope the members of the Carthage Chamber of Commerce are very proud of Debra’s accomplishments" said Vickie Wolgast, Grandview Area Chamber of Commerce and CCEM President.

The Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri is an organization dedicated to the advancement of contemporary Chamber management concepts through continuing education. CCEM membership includes more than 150 professionals from chambers of commerce around the state of Missouri.

The CCEM Fall Conference was held at the Holiday Inn South County Center in St. Louis on September 20-23.

Stench Report:

Tuesday,
9/26/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

This typically happens when I first pick up the phone and I’m in the middle of doin’ somethin’ else. My brain doesn’t change gears quick enough and the person on the other end of the line begins the conversation. The first sentence or so I hear but it just doesn’t quite sink in.

I was with a group the other day when one guy started tellin’ a joke about newspaper columnist.

I said, "Before ya go any further, ya oughta know I write a column myself."

"Well, I’m glad ya told me," he said. "In that case I’ll tell the story real slow so you’ll understand it."

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "Get moving while you’re cleaning. Put on a pair of old socks misted very lightly with furniture polish. You can clean your baseboards and get a workout at the same time. Just run your foot lightly along the baseboards; you should have no problem getting into corners, and your back will thank you." -- A Reader, via e-mail

• "With four kids, two of whom are in high school, it’s tough to keep everyone’s schedule straight. Everyone is required to have dinner together three times a week, including Sunday. Every Sunday, we go over everyone’s appointments for the week and decide which days we will eat together. It’s a great time to catch up and plan for the week ahead, since there is no question that we will all be there." -- B.C. in Texas

• "In my house, cleaning up is a big issue. I have a large basket in the garage that is designated Toy Time Out. I ask the kids to pick something up and give them a time limit. If I have to ask again, the item goes into time out for a day. I typically get a good response to my requests." -- A Mom in Maryland

• If you use cold water to clean all of your clothes, you can save about $40 a year in electricity costs. Your clothes will last longer, as well. And consider a clothesline for air-drying items like towels and sheets on nice days. That saves electricity as well.

• "I just filled a nick in my wood floor with a brown crayon. It works. I just rubbed it into the mark, and then used a soft rag to work it in. You can’t even tell where it was. I thank my dad for this tip." -- A.A. in Florida