Today's Feature
A Peaceful
Celebration.
Over 100 police personnel were
present at one time or another during the Marian
Days Celebration last week here in Carthage. Most
were off duty officers from area departments who
helped keep traffic moving, assist in crowd
control and perform typical tasks such as opening
cars with keys locked inside.
As the record setting numbers
of visitors spread beyond the boundaries of the
Congregation of Mother of Co-Redemptrix
facilities, some surrounding neighbors were seen
directing vehicles away from parking in
unauthorized areas.
Despite the number of visitors,
especially on Friday and Saturday night, Carthage
Police Chief Dennis Veach was impressed with the
overall cooperation of the attendees and the
community.
Thirty-nine off duty officers
and reserve officers from the Jasper County
Sheriff’s Department participated. The
Joplin Police Department was the source of
twenty-nine officers. Carthage off duty officers
numbered twenty, and six came from Webb City.
Investigators came from several
different states around the nation.
Commentary
Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126
Apparently
there is a new system of awarding highway
construction contracts in Missouri. We used to
have a system that, for the most part, awarded
contracts based on the lowest bid for the work
done. Now, thanks to Gov. Carnahan, that appears
to be changing.
About a month ago, Al Sharpton,
a man who claims to be a reverend, but seems more
intent on keeping poor people dependent on the
government and away from any personal
responsibility, led a group of mostly black
protesters to block I-70 for about an hour. They
claimed to be protesting a lack of minorities
being awarded contracts for highway construction
in Missouri.
This is crazy for several
reasons. For one thing, Missouri already awards a
higher percentage of minority contracts than the
Federal Government says is mandatory. However,
the real outrage is that it is completely racist
to award government contracts based on the color
of a contractor’s skin. I happen to have the
crazy notion that government contracts should be
awarded on the best work done for the lowest bid.
I find it ironic and offensive that we have folks
like these road blockers calling for a color
blind society and then saying skin color should
be a consideration when spending tax dollars.
This new arrangement will end
up costing you more money. Now even if a bid
submitted by a minority contractor is higher, it
will have to be accepted if there are not enough
contracts given to minorities. Here is a wild
idea. Maybe if they want the work they should
submit a more competitive bid in the first place.
You just watch though; I am
calling for contracts to be awarded on the basis
of work performed for money, they are calling for
contracts to be awarded on the basis of skin
color. Who do you think will be called the
racist?
As usual, I can be reached at
House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City,
MO 65101, or 1-800-878-7126, or
mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions,
comments, or advice.
Blunt Wins Congressional
Battle for Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Library Expansion.
news release
Congressman Regula and Blunt
have secured matching congressional funding to
help the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Foundation construct a significant addition to
the park's Visitor's Center. The expansion will
house the nation's largest Civil War library
collection, a multipurpose educational room and
administrative offices.
The Battle of Wilson's Creek
marked the start of the Civil War in Missouri.
Losses on both sides were heavy - more than 2,500
soldiers were killed including commanding Union
General Nathaniel Lyon. At the end of the
day-long battle on August 10, 1861, Confederate
forces held the field, but did not take advantage
of their victory; Missouri remained in Union
hands. Wilson's Creek National Battlefield draws
more than 185,000 visitors annually to the 1,750
acre park southwest of Springfield.
The Visitor's center and
library, built in 1983, currently houses the
3,800 volume John K. and Ruth L. Hulston Library,
making it the premier Civil War research library
in the National Park Service.
Blunt, working with House
Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman
Ralph Regula (R-OH), included a matching grant in
the Interior Appropriations Bill which was
approved by the House in July. Dr. Bearss, who
served as the National Park Service Historian and
was a participant in the making of Ken Burn's PBS
series on the Civil War, will comment on the
historic significance of expanding the Hulston
research library.
Congressman Blunt believes the
expansion project would open the park's history
to more research and notoriety. "The
library's material contains a wealth of
information for research scholars, genealogists
and future generations who want to know more
about a defining moment in the history of the
United States. Currently, the research library
lacks adequate space to be fully utilized. This
project opens new instructional facilities to
accommodate the 8,000 students who annually visit
the battlefield."
letters to the editor
This letter is in response to
the articles written by State Representative Bubs
Hohulin in the August 3rd Carthage Mornin'
Mail, the August 4th Lamar Democrat
and the August 3rd Nevada Daily Mail. In
his article, Mr. Hohulin was fairly accurate when
explaining the process of grading agricultural
land for tax purposes. I suspect he actually
educated himself on the subject before speaking.
What was so farfetched was his statement saying
"Believe it or not, I was contacted by two
of the three county assessors in my legislative
district urging me to vote for higher rates! They
said that the county governments could really use
the money."
I doubt that Mr. Hohulin
understands the process of how the assessor's
office sets values, holds hearings and closes out
our figures. If he did, he would never make such
a ludicrous statement. Mr. Hohulin, no doubt, is
clueless to what this would do to the Assessors
and Collectors in this state, if such a decision
to raise agricultural land were reached in the
courts. I've talked to both assessors in his
district and neither they nor I spoke to Bubs
Hohulin on raising ag land. As a matter of fact,
we terrible democrats feel we have no
representative to give us insight or help. The
response I always get from my calls for help is,
"It's the Democrats fault."
It takes a sorry person to pay
"lip service" and find fault, but it
takes a special person to work towards solutions.
If we can't start with honesty and itegrity in
our own district, how can we ever expect it to
change elsewhere? The next time an article from
Mr. Hohuhlin comes across the editor's desk,
maybe they will see fit to check his comments for
accuracy before printing his cries to rid the
world of democrats.
Sincerely,
Jeannie Reed Allen
Vernon County Assessor
Graphic Art Opportunities
Due to our recent
purchase of additional equipment and expansion of
our Carthage, Missouri facility, we are currently
taking applications for the following positions:
Press Operator.
Must have experience operating an A.B. Dick 360,
Chief 117, Heidelberg windmill, power cutter, and
folding equipment. Dark room and layout
experience.
Pre Press:
Experience with Pagemaker, Quark, Photoshop,
Illustrator, Coral Draw. Design and typesetting.
Mac and PC. Four Color process experience a plus.
Customer Rep:
Need strong organizational skills, computer
skills, and be service oriented. Knowledge of
current paper trends and printing background.
Bindery:
General bindery, padding, stitching, booklet
assembly and binding. Some lifting involved.
General Office:
Phone skills and computer skills. Experience with
Quickbooks, Excel, Access and page layout
programs.
Pick
up an application at 213 Lyon, Carthage,
Missouri, or call for appointment. 417-358-5174
Fax 417-358-3168 email: mmail@morninmail.com
Carthage
Printing Services
"Latest
technology, Old fashioned values."
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