The Latest Count.

City Hall had received a total of 35 applications for Chief of Police as of yesterday afternoon. Submissions have to have been postmarked no later than June 31. The search for a new Chief was prompted by resignation of 19 year veteran Chief Ed Ellefsen who resigned when offered the job of Director of the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center in Springfield. Captain Kevin Davis is serving as interim Police Chief until a replacement is hired.

Mayor Kenneth Johnson told the Mornin’ Mail yesterday that applicants are from as far away as the Miami, Florida area. Most of the hopefuls hail from the Midwest where advertisements for the position were published.

The Police Personnel Committee will meet in closed session July 7 to begin assessing the applications. According to City Administrator Tom Short, a new Chief could be recommended as soon as August 1. Any recommendations that come from the Committee will need the final approval of the full Council. Mayor Johnson has indicated that the quality of applicants is high.

Over 60 Center
Dates to Remember

Friday, July 3 • Center will be closed for Independence Day. No Homebound meals and no center activities.-Exercise class meets at 10 every Monday,Wednesday, and Friday in the month.

Thursday, July 9 • free blood pressure check for seniors over sixty provided by McCune Brooks Home Health department.

Friday, July 10 • "Over Fifty" Potluck 5:30p.m.

Tuesday, July 14 • 10:30 Judy Golden fromMcCune-Brooks will answer all questions about what "Home Health" is all about.

Wednesday, July 15 • Free blood sugar testing for all senior citizens over sixty provided by McCune-Brooks Home Health department.

Thursday, July 16 • 11:15 Birthday/anniversary dinner for all seniors born or married in the month of July.

Small Businesses Get Relief

Small Business Administration News Release

A decision by the agency that runs Medicare to ease a regulatory burden on home health care providers was hailed yesterday by the Small Business Administration's ombudsman.

"This is a giant step in the right direction," said Peter Barca, who heads the SBA's Regulatory Fairness program and also serves as national small business ombudsman. Mr. Barca was referring to a decision by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA, commonly pronounced HICK-vah) to suspend enforcement of a surety bond requirement for companies that provide health services to patients in their own home.

Mr. Barca has held hearings in recent weeks on the devastating effects of regulatory decisions upon small business in general, and in the home health care business in particular. In testimony before Regulatory Finance Boards in Tulsa, St. Louis, Boise, and Augusta, Maine, visiting nurses, X-ray technicians and others have said that a series of new HCFA regulations soon may- and in some cases already have- put them out of business

"No one can doubt, and no one can condone, that HCFA has had problems contending with fraudulent claims," Barca said. "But the solution is to prosecute the guilty, not to crush law abiding- and cost-efficient- small businesses that can save the U.S. government millions by avoiding hospitalization for patients who can benefit from home treatment."

The allegations concern steps taken by HCFA to guard against fraud and abuse in home health care. This field has grown rapidly in recent years, partly due to cost-cutting efforts by hospitals. HCFA regulators have begun requiring home care providers to post surety bonds at levels many small businesses cannot afford, and to follow rigid billing protocols that can limit payments.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

Whenever I find a conversation goin’ to far in talkin’ ‘bout the "good ol’ days" I always bring up the topic of cookstoves and outhouses. That will usually bring folks back to their senses. Although there are prob’ly a lot of good stories about these particular articles of fascination, most I’ve talked to don’t want to go back quite that far.

Wood cookstoves have some charm for sure, but havin’ ta get up and stoke the fire on a cold mornin’ usually isn’t a fond memory (unless someone else did the stokin’).

Outhouses are always a good conversation generator. Cold mornin’s and hot summer days seem to be the most mentioned rememberances I hear. Thunder buckets don’t seem ta be much missed either. A simpler time maybe, but not without a price.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin'.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

CLICK and CLACK
TALK CARS

Dear Ray and Tom:

I have been told that adding seven or eight naphthalene mothballs to a tank of gasoline increases the octane. Is this true? If it is true, what will it do to the engine of the vehicle? -Donald

RAY: That's an excellent question, Donald. This "mothball" story has been around as long as we have. So immediately upon receiving your letter we called in the illustrious Dr. Jim Davis, Ph.D., director of the chemistry labs here at Car Talk Plaza, to try to get a definite answer. And Jim said he'd get right on it.

TOM: Two months later, he called us and apologized for the delay, which he said was unavoidable due to a two-month-long faculty meeting that had just ended at Harvard, where he moonlights.

RAY: Anyway, after several months of study, and the complete depletion of an otherwise useful NIH grant, Jim has concluded that this mothball story is basically a bunch of horse pie.

TOM: There are several different types of mothballs on the market, none of which, to his knowledge, do anything to improve the performance of gasoline. They WILL burn, so you will get some power out of them. But since mothballs are more expensive than gasoline, this is not a very economical way to get to work, Donald.

RAY: Some mothballs even produce HCI, hydrochloric acid, as a by-product. And pumping HCI through your engine and exhaust system is probably not very good for its longevity.

TOM: The only thing Jim will guarantee is that, if you put mothballs in your gas tank, any sweaters you store in there will be moth free.

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