Today's Feature

Police Conduct Compliance Check.

News release

During the evening of 12-05-08 the Carthage Police Department conducted compliance checks of several of the locations in the city that sell alcohol. Through the process of these checks, six of 14 locations sold alcohol to a minor. Seven people were issued a city summons for sale of intoxicants to a minor. The goal of the police department is to deter individuals that attempt to illegally purchase alcohol. In the process of doing this we encourage clerks that are presented with altered ID cards or ID cards from an underage person that is attempting to purchase alcohol to seize those ID cards and call the police department immediately. Only one location that was tested, Mizzou Liquor (2506 Grand), did this.

The following locations were checked and found to be in compliance: Mazoo North, Price Cutter, Wal-Mart, TC’s Liquor Locker, Mazoo South, Supermercado Guerrero, Fastrip South

The following locations were checked and found not to be in compliance as they sold alcohol to a minor. Snak Atak East, Fastrip North, 201 W. Central, Snak Atak West, Ez-Mart, Tiger Alley, Casey’s General Store

The Carthage Police Department firmly believes in the importance of keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors. Underage drinking is a serious issue and we are committed to enforcing the laws in place to prevent minors from accessing alcohol.

Mornin'
When it comes to the Christmas tree discussion, there’s one major question: real or fake. I’ve gotta admit I bow toward the real thing. But that’s knot to say that there is less than a sliver of truth to the fact that a good fake can fool most any sap.

Course, there are even differences of opinion among the real tree advocates. To some, pickin’ up a tree at the grocery store goes against the grain. They want to actually go out to the tree growin’ place and amputate the trunk themselves. Pretty emotional. That in itself may be why some choose the artificial type, so as to avoid goin’ through the trauma ever’ year.

The one thing ya can’t excuse is a ratty lookin’ fake tree. The old "that’s the only one I could find" story doesn’t play except with the real thing.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Finding AAAA Batteries

Q: As you know, you are not supposed to drive and use a cell phone at the same time. I did the responsible thing and purchased a Bluetooth headset. Now the battery has died, and I can’t find a replacement at any local retail stores (Home Depot, CVS, Wal-Mart). Where in my region can I purchase AAAA batteries? --- Erik in Coventry

A: A store specializing in electronics would be your best bet (Circuit City, Best Buy, MicroCenter). You also can order them over the Internet -- try the Web sites of any one of these major electronics retailers or Amazon.com, which sells many items besides books.

Q: In response to your column about a visiting mother-in-law who complained she was cold all the time, your answer didn’t cover one possibility. In a lot of houses with one central heating system, the doors to all rooms should be left open all the time so that return air circulates evenly throughout the house and all rooms stay the same temperature.

If one person closes their door at night for privacy reasons, that door seals off air circulation so no warm air can enter from the register. A crack under the door would let that warm air in, but if there is no such opening, air cannot circulate into that room, and it gets cold. The next day when the door is open again, no problem can be found because air is circulating through the open door. -- Jack H., Salem, Mo.

A: That’s definitely a possibility. Having grown up in the South, where central heat was often jury-rigged into older homes -- so not every room had a register -- it was not uncommon for closed-off rooms to get chilly. Thanks for your suggestion. Perhaps the mother-in-law could leave her bedroom door open just a bit to let air circulate.

HOME TIP: Not sure whether a furnace’s air filter needs changing? Hold the filter up to a light -- if the filter blocks most of the light, replace it.