No Shortage of Power Here.

The summer temperatures continue to expose the advantage Carthage has in being able to produce a significant amount of its own electrical power. CW&EP Production Manager Bob Williams says demand for electricity drove the price of a megawatt up to nearly $3,000 last week. Carthage actually sold 6 megs for one hour at $2,600 per.

Historically power could be purchased during this time of the year for around $40 according to Williams. Carthage has 30 megawatts of power under contract from Sikeston and usually purchases any additional power on the open market. Without the CW&EP power generators, Carthage would have had to purchase some of that high priced power last week says Williams.

A new power consumption peak for Carthage was reached last week for 50.8 megawatts of electricity. Williams says that after a few minor adjustments were made to the generators, the plant is now capable of producing full capacity.

A cool front that moved through Louisiana over the weekend relieved some of the overall demand yesterday.

Crowder Receives Federal Grant.

Springfield, Missouri - Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt notified Crowder College President Kent Farnsworth that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded a one-year, $350,000 "Strengthening Institutions Program" grant to help the school improve its educational programs for "at-risk or non-traditional learners."

The grant will be used to create and design a Development Education Division and pilot curriculum at the Neosho-based college to help a growing area population of under prepared and non-traditional students. In the application for the grant, Crowder College officials explain the problem.

"Despite the increases in college-going rates, minimum wage jobs still lure 25% of the area high school students out of school before graduation, in many cases to supplement family income. Area plants employ these young people in unskilled labor that contributes to a cycle of low wages and low education attainment and low self-esteem. Many of these people realize eventually that they are "dead-ended" and the college offers the only way to improve, consequently, they come to the college badly under-prepared."

The Development Education Division will feature computer assisted learning labs, and programs in reading, writing and math.

letter from ma

Our niece's daughter, who is taking driver's ed this summer, finally got to drive, although with an instructor beside her.

"Boy, that teacher sure talked a lot," she told her mother after her first lesson. She was truly disgusted.

"What did he say?"

"Slow down! Slow down!"

In the nineteen thirties, I badgered my older brother Paul into teaching me to drive. I don't suppose anyone remembers a car called a "Whippet," but that's what we had. Someone had given it to my dad in lieu of money owed to him. It was a coupe, probably from the twenties, and it wasn't the ideal car for a family of six.

This was the days before automatic transmission, and I always had trouble with the clutch. Each time we got in the car, my brother would remind me in a long-suffering tone, "I hope we don't "hop" all the way around the block."

I struggled with shifting gears. This day, I simply could not get that stick to go into second.

The old Whippet yowled and screamed and screeched.

People on the street turned to look. Embarrassed to the bone, my brother slid down in the seat, out of sight.

"Push in the clutch!" he yelled.

Many years later, my granddaughter expressed amazement that I, "at my age," could drive a car with that newfangled invention, "four on the floor."

"Nothing to it," I told her. "All you have to do is shove the gear shift to the right places. And uh...first...remember to push in the clutch."

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

I stopped by the Electric Plant Friday evenin’. There were four generators operatin’ at that time, things had begun to cool off a bit.

I had on occasion been at the plant when one of the engines were fired up just ta keep things loosened up, but never with more than that.

CW&EP are gettin’ ready for their 100 anniversary this fall. I suppose it’s fittin’ that the idea of keepin’ the plant operational has proved a valuable asset to the community.

There is little doubt that the nations electrical power structure is goin’ to see some significant changes in the near future. It appears that Carthage will at least have a few more options than most when it comes to keepin’ the light bulbs shinin’ and the air conditioners coolin’.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

Health and Nutrition by Judith Sheldon

Last week, a young woman who is connected with a major educational system, told me she has various allergies for which she demands- and gets- antibiotics. If her doctor is really giving her these medications for a non-bacterial problem, shame on him.

It’s been shown that the misuse of antibiotics has rendered many of them useless against bacteria which have developed immunity to them. As a result, we can face a time in the very near future when bacterial diseases we once thought we’d conquered come back even more dangerous than before. The simple fact is, antibiotics are designed to kill bacteria. They don’t kill viruses or alleviate allergies.

People with cardiovascular problems might want to "go to the dogs." Just petting a dog or cat can help reduce blood pressure. Also, walking your dog several times a day provides excellent exercise which can be extremely beneficial.

Did you know that overweight men are at greater risk for developing cataracts? One theory is that glucose levels in the blood are higher in men with a greater body mass index , and high glucose has been linked to cataracts. Overweight men would be advised to reduce their body mass to reduce the risk of developing cataracts.

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