Today's Feature

Minimum Wage Law.

Hourly wage to increase from $6.50 to $6.65 per hour

Effective January 1, 2008, and as required by last year’s ballot initiative, Missourians will see an increase to the minimum wage. Beginning the first of the year, the state’s minimum hourly wage will increase by 15 cents from $6.50 to $6.65 per hour.

Missouri’s minimum wage law was adopted by Missourians last year by 76 percent of the vote. The rate change was announced recently by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, based on a 2.2 percent change in the Consumer Price Index between July 2006 and July 2007.

The minimum wage law applies to all businesses/employees that are not specifically exempted. Any business, except retail or service businesses whose annual gross volume sales or business is less than $500,000 needs to pay non-exempt employees the minimum wage.

To learn more about Missouri’s minimum wage law or to print a minimum wage poster, please visit the Web site, www.dolir.mo.gov/ls/minimumwage/ or call the Missouri Division of Labor Standards at (573) 751-3403.

I always thought I had figured out a real secret, but the other day I picked up a book that taught several little tricks to make figurin’ math in you head easier. It was published back in the 30s. The author had figured all the angles and had a shortcut of some kind for most all math type of problems.

I suppose I wasn’t as smart, or as dumb, as I thought I was. I still figure a little math ever now and then on paper just for practice, but the calculator is always nearby.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Removing Wallpaper

Q: The dining room and kitchen of the house we recently purchased have dingy, faded wallpaper in place. What’s the best way to remove this so that we can paint the walls? -- Kara G., Portland, Maine

A: Wallpaper removal, even at the best of times, is a time-consuming, exhausting, dusty, dirty job. It can also be somewhat exhilarating as you rip paper from the walls, but this comes in small doses. I’m just preparing you for the job -- because removing the old wallpaper and repainting the walls is ultimately worth the effort.

You’ll need a putty knife, wallpaper scraper, wallpaper scorer, a spray bottle filled with mild soapy water, dropcloths, sponges, a scouring pad and coarse sandpaper. A dust mask, hat and gloves should be worn. Depending on the difficulty involved in removing the wallpaper and glue beneath, you may need to rent a wallpaper steamer. Wallpaper-removing solution is also available, but this is a somewhat caustic product that generates lots of fumes, requiring a respirator mask, eye and skin protection, so consider it a worst-case-scenario item.

After clearing out furniture and putting down dropcloths, test the wallpaper by selecting a loose corner and gently pulling away from the wall. Encourage the paper along by running the putty knife or scraper between the paper and wall.

Older paper tends to peel away and leave the backing and glue behind. And such glue is often practically petrified. To make removal easier, spray soap-and-water solution on the surface of the wallpaper and let it soak for a few minutes before peeling. If the wet spray doesn’t work, use the rental steamer (careful, as it’s very hot) to soften the backing and glue. Scrape away softened material with the putty knife; attack stubborn backing blobs with coarse sandpaper.

As I said, wallpaper removal is a tough job. Do the work in batches, allotting a certain amount of time to the job each day. If you’re tired or hurried, the walls may not be cleaned properly, and that will show up under the paint.

HOME TIP: Before painting a wall, sand the surface with fine-grit sandpaper to create a slightly rough surface to which the paint will adhere.