Today's Feature

Federal Disaster Area.

A media release has been received from Chamber of Commerce President and Economic Development Director John Bode stating that President Bush has declared Missouri and Kansas a federal disaster area due to the damage from the ice storm. This, according to Bode, means that federal money will be available to the City to reimburse them for costs associated with limb cleanup. However, neither FEMA nor SEMA will pay any part of private residents costs for limb cleanup or tree damage.

A release from the City confirmed that DNR had temporarily waived some requirements regarding yard waste in sanitary landfills. City Administrator Tom Short said that the City was in the process of bidding out collection service, as Allied Waste would not be doing the collection. As of Friday, no date had been set for beginning onsite cleanup.

Citizens are still encouraged to haul fallen limbs and branches to the City landfill, where they may be dropped free of charge.

For those citizens who wish to clean up their yards and don’t have the proper equipment to haul the limbs themselves, the guidelines used during last January’s ice storm are still recommended for subsequent pickup. Those guidelines are as follows;

Limbs should be cut no more than 5 feet long and neatly stacked inside the homeowner’s side of the curb. No debris should be left in the street, as it makes it difficult for the Street Department to clear the roadways in case of snow. No debris should be left in the alleys.

I turned on my wipers Friday mornin’ to clear the light snow from the windshield. They hung for a moment, then swiped across the glass. The lesson was obvious. Part of my wiper blade stayed attached to the ice as the wiper ripped a chunk of the rubber. I’ve seen that before, I though to myself as I mumbled a few words of wisdom I’d learned in other similar experiences.

You might not teach an old dog new tricks, but ya gotta keep tryin’.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Guest Room Chills Mother-In-Law

Q: Last year when my mother-in-law came to visit for the holidays, she complained daily that her room -- our spare guest room -- was too cold. This is despite me going in there twice a day with a room thermometer that showed the temperature was the same as the rest of the house. She didn’t complain about any other area of the house being cold. This year she’s visiting again. How can I convince her the room is warm enough without running up a huge heating bill just to bring the guest room temp up 10 degrees? -- Frustrated Son-in-Law in Little Rock

A: That could be a tough order. Does she say the room gets cold at a specific time, like during the night? Or does she say it is cold all of the time? Because she’s sleeping there, and reduced activity can lower our body temperature, she may feel colder after going to bed. Also, if the house has a thermostat that automatically lowers the temperature at designated times, she may be noticing that change. Or the room could have a draft that other parts of the house don’t have.

The best way to get an idea of whether the room is actually colder or not is to spend a night or two in it. If you feel the chill as well, you’ll be better able to track down the source. A partially closed register, poor weather stripping on the windows, a cross-draft from some other part of the house -- these can be quickly remedied.

If the room doesn’t feel cold at all and there are no odd drafts or anything, your mother-in-law may be feeling cold because her body temperature drops at night, or maybe she’s feeling homesick and uncomfortable in the guest room. In this case, find out how her own bedroom is equipped -- with an electric blanket perhaps, or a humidifier, a television or some other comfort -- and provide at least some of those same items in the guest room so that she feels more at home.

HOME TIP: Mind your outlets! To prevent blown circuits or even a fire, never connect more than three strings of Christmas lights to a single outlet.