Did Ya Know... The Carthage Masonic Lodge will have an Ice Cream Social at Central Park on Sun., May 18, from 2 p.m. -? Cost is $3; children 10 and under $2. Proceeds will go to the Children's Miracle Network. There will be clowns, face painting and Denny and the Cruisers.
Did Ya Know... The Belle Starr Spring Arts & Crafts Show will be Sat. & Sun. from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Crafters, demonstrators, concessions, hourly drawings for Carthage & Branson Giveaways, and entertainment.
"You know, I always wondered," a fellow asked his golfing partners one day, "where do you suppose is the safest place to be when you call up the foursome behind you on a par three?"
"That's an easy one," responded one of his pals. "Right next to the hole, of course."
Optimist: He who thinks a housefly is looking for the way out.
It's easy to spot a hypochondriac. He's the guy who can read his doctor's handwriting.
Uranium: Storm exclamation.
INTERESTING MELANGE.
A Chronological Record of Events as they have Transpired in the City and County since our last Issue.
A LONG BICYCLE TRIP.
Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Hudson, of Carterville, Bound for ElDorado Springs.
Chas. Hudson and wife of Carterville passed through this city today on their bicycles bound for ElDorado Springs. Mr. Hudson is a druggist at Carterville. He formerly lived at ElDorado Springs and the couple are going there for a visit with his parents. The distance from ElDorado Springs to Webb City is about 75 miles. The young couple left Webb City after dinner and made the trip to Carthage in an hour. They expect to reach Lamar tonight and Eldorado Springs sometime tomorrow.
They do not expect to rush however and Mr. Hudson carried a fishing pole strapped inside the frame of his wheel so they can stop and fish if they desire to break the monotony of the trip. Both were attired in regulation cycling costume and were equal to anything in the wheeling line.
Mornin',
My brother worked on a pig farm ta help pay his way durin’ his college years. Said it wasn’t that bad a work, but he started noticin’ the resemblance ‘tween hogs and people.
Not that the appearance was that similar, although he did have names for certain ones, but more the attitude.
He said that some of the oinkers would go to the water trough and just stand there blowin’ bubbles. They wouldn’t be thirsty, but just didn’t want any of the others to get in place.
He [my brother, not the pig] started noticin’ that if he was in a bad mood when he came in ta feed the animals, there was much disruption throughout the community. Some days he’d come and throw a bucket and be talkin’ loud and the pigs would respond accordingly. They’d start pushin’ and snarlin’ at each other. Other days he’d be hummin’ a tune and talkin’ quiet, they’d all be happy as could be.
One day he thought he’d get by bein’ a little late, but the pigs squealed.
This is some fact, but mostly, Just Jake Talkin’.
by Mari An Willis
The Battle of Carthage re-enactment is quite the event. I pay my respects to those who keep alive a time in such an authentic manner. It is no small task to follow all the rules which make something acceptable to their standards. Certainly worth a trip or two out to the Kellogg Lake to see what it is all about. The activities on the Square and Red Oak II will keep you busy for the rest of the day and evening.
Field wounds, malnutrition and starvation and the accompanying dis-eases that came with these conditions were also part of the War. Just take a walk around and you will see what was available to many of the soldiers for food as well as medicine. Imagine if one were hiding or making mile to another battle and a stand of blackberries came into view or the smell of sassafras brewing over a campfire. Abundant this time of year is also mullein. It is sometimes known as velvet dock or flannel leaf due to the texture and size of its beautiful leaves. The leaf was used as an anti-spasmodic due to cough and colds. It has been noted that the leaf made a good bandage if nothing else were available. Yarrow is an astringent and may be used to stop bleeding. An infusion of this plant has been used to treat the debilitating effects of long illness. It is excellent for those coming down with a cold or flu.
I am pleased to see this group in Carthage. Jim Long is a noted authority on the use of plants during the Civil War. Maybe we can find him in a field hospital treating the "wounded." Well worth looking up and engaging in some conversation.
*This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.
Outside agencies got their last full fledged opportunity to influence the outcome of budget proceeding last Wednesday evening. The Budget/Ways and Means Committee inflicted minimal reductions to the requests submitted for funding during the meeting at City Hall, but Committee Chairman Bill Johnson said that the real cuts will probably come next Wednesday.
“We have listened to everybody now, we’ve been through all the departments,” Johnson told the Committee. “We have not made any significant cuts which we definitely need to do. We are going to have to have another meeting. What I would like to do is limit the discussion to members only and Council members. We’re just going to have to go through and make choices.
“We’re going to have to look at every one of them when we come back to do this.”
The requests for funding still outweigh revenue for the year by approximately $450,000. The only major cuts that have been approved have been large, capital improvements projects that were not heavily defended.
The controversial vote by the Committee last week to withhold the $36,725 funding for the Fair Acres Sports Complex maintenance was reversed soon after the meeting began and Park Board representatives left with only $15,000 cut from their capital improvement requests.
The Chamber of Commerce saw approximately 15% of their $66,000 request sliced and Main Street Carthage held on to $27,000 of their request. These figures would be added to the funding approved to come from the Lodging Tax revenue.
Committee members Lujene Clark and Jackie Boyer both protested the apparent lack of willingness by the Committee to make serious adjustments.
Clark asked why cuts would be easier to make at next week’s meeting.
“Well,” said Johnson, “we’re not going to have input next time. We’re going to be on our own and making decisions on what’s going to happen.”
The Committee also voted to raise the salary for Codes Inspector Bud Roger’s and newly appointed Engineering Department Head Joe Butler.
Mary Catherine Krause, a specialist in ADA compliance, is scheduled to address the full Council during next Tuesday’s Public Works Committee meeting. Some budget adjustments are expected to begin the City’s compliance with ADA.
Water Plant personnel will begin the annual cleaning of the utility's water holding and softening basin on Monday, May 19 and expect completition by the end of the week. Cleaning is necessary to remove algae from the walls, which can affect the water's taste and color, and also to remove excess lime buildup from the softening process. A Fire Department high pressure pumper will be used.
During the cleaning operation CW&EP customers will notice a slightly different taste to the water due to unsoftened water being delivered to the distribution system, and should return to normal after the cleaning operation is completed. During this time plant personnel will continue to chlorinate (disinfect), fluoridate and filter the water to provide safe potable water to the people of Carthage.
According to a release from the Carthage Chamber of Commerce, the publishing of 175,000 new tourism pocket facts booklets has been prepared and is to be distributed by the Chamber of Commerce. This "Welcome Home to Carthage" booklet features photographs and comments by local citizens and lists special attractions, special events and cultural highlights.
This booklet will be placed in corporate offices in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; Chicago, IL; Kansas City and St. Louis, MO, as well as being distributed through the regular tourism sources used by the Chamber and the City. The booklet was funded through Cooperative Marketing Funds from the Division of Tourism of the State of Missouri and the City of Carthage General Funds 1996-97 budget year.
The booklet can be found at the Chamber office, 107 East Third.
by Carolyn L. Wyatt, GRI
What is the "American Dream?" Most will have on their list, owning a home, steady employment and having an education. These are also goals for most people that consider long-term financial security as important.
Which one of those elements is believed to be the most difficult to obtain? Owning your own home was the most often found reply.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) did a recent survey and found that most first-time home buyers made that purchase due to their unwillingness to continue paying rent. They wanted a tax break and more living space that the purchase of a home would accomplish for them.
Financial security and the willingness to sacrifice the purchase of that new car or that vacation to buy a home are goals that many will carry out to have that dream of ownership.
The survey went on to add that more than 40% of the renters said they would be willing to settle for a home with fewer amenities in order to own a home. A large amount said they would take an extra job to help pay for a home.
Many renters felt that they would not qualify to purchase a home due to not having enough money saved to make a down payment. Most that answered this had not tried to be pre-qualified for a home loan.
"Home ownership provides important social benefits as well as economic benefits. A high rate of home ownership is analogous to increased involvement in the community." It further states that more home owners go out and vote and volunteer their time to their community. The value of property ownership gives people a reason to care and that can make all the difference.
For more than 75 years, countless Missourians have received some college education they may not be aware of, say those promoting "University Extension Week."
May 18-24 has been proclaimed "University Extension Week" by Missouri's Governor Mel Carnahan. Locally, the Jasper County University Extension Center, Courthouse Basement, Carthage, will host an open house on Wednesday, May 21, between 1 and 4 p.m. to honor the event according to Ed Browning, local extension specialist.
The United States is the only country in the world with a Cooperative Extension Service. It operates in each state and the "cooperative" refers to linkages with other organizations.
In Missouri, it goes by the name University Extension, and according to its officials, it's one of the nation's most comprehensive educational efforts. The "university" in its name refers to the University of Missouri and Lincoln University.
Because of its early roots, many still think of extension programs as primarily agricultural, along with what used to be known as home economics. 4-H, too. In Missouri, those areas are included, but it's far wider than that, says Lu Harper. From her Springfield office she heads up the organization's programs in 16 counties in the southwest part of the state.
The whole idea of extension is that it takes research-based information from the campuses to the people, she says. Other nations have similar programs but they aren't linked to educational institutions.
Programs across the state are carried out with the help of a network of "extension specialists" in county offices who help provide information for people in various ways, through seminars, workshops, one-on-one, etc., in many areas of knowledge.
"And it's been working real well for a long time. Even though we try to let people know who we are and what we do, probably the biggest problem we have is we're the best kept secret there is," says Browning.
If you would like more information about the Jasper County University Extension, stop by the Carthage Courthouse Basement or call 358-2158.
Martin "Bubs" Hohulin State Representative, District 26
As we finish up the last week of this year's session, most of the major bills as prioritized by Governor Mel Carnahan and the rest of the democrat leaders are either stalled, wounded or dead. This is not all bad. Take for instance, the so called Welfare Reform Bill. We had a bill and the democrats had a bill. Our bill closely mirrored the bill passed by the Republican Congress which put time limits on how long a person could receive benefits, shrunk the overall entitlement program and basically said if you can work you will; you will no longer sponge off of the taxpayer. The bill introduced by the democrats was an expansion of the current system with added programs and a plan to ask the federal government for exemptions so that Missouri could continue shoveling taxpayer dollars into a system that has not worked for 40 years. Guess which bill was the only one we were allowed to debate!
The odd thing is, even on the democrat side of the aisle, the House has a generally conservative bent. However, the Governor and most of the democrat leaders are very liberal. Since it is the leaders that determine what will and won't be debated, gridlock is usually the result. In this particular case the welfare reform bill was voted down in the Budget Committee not once but twice. Now the Governor is blaming republicans for welfare reform not being passed. This is a fallacy on a couple of fronts. First off, it takes 82 votes to pass a bill in the House. There are 87 democrats and 75 republicans in the House. We don't have the votes to stop or pass anything. The democrats have a cushion of 5 votes. The best we can hope for is that some of the more conservative ones will listen to their district and vote with us on major issues. The second thing is if we don't pass a welfare reform package we automatically fall back to the federal language and as I mentioned before, that position is very close to the position we were pushing. After 40 years of throwing money at a system that only encouraged dependency and locked generation after generation into an entitlement program paid for by the hard working taxpayers of this country, it is time to try something else.
As I've said before, success in the legislature isn't always what is passed so much as what is not passed. In this case if we do nothing things will get better.