Today's Feature

DNR Well Received.

Citizens Welcome Department Efforts.

Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers and several department staff provided an update on their efforts to address stench during an open meeting at the Carthage Chamber of Commerce last Friday.

Mayor Woestman commended the department for its efforts so far and their commitment to bringing fresh air back to Carthage.

Several private citizens attended the meeting along with representatives of nearly every news media in the county. The general consensus of the group was that the stench problem was an illusive foe and although some progress has been made, more needs to be done.

Childers said that the department is continuing to work with the Texas company analyzing the chemical make up of odors. An initial Carthage testing last year yielded some results but further testing is needed. He says that the hope is to use Carthage as a site to verify the technology and use the findings and the process in other parts of the state.

Mornin’

I’ve read where time is the real commodity of the 00’s. The old sayin’ that I’ve got the time, if you’ve got the money may be loosin’ all relationship to the real world.

‘Course the fact that only a couple a generations ago folks worked twelve or more hours a day just ta get by often gets forgotten. With 90% of the population livin’ in rural areas back then, most time was spent just tryin’ to keep food on the table.

I suppose the main difference ‘tween now and then is folks back then didn’t have a choice. The fact is, anyone wantin’ to live, as the pioneers did, in a home without runnin’ water or electricity, washin’ clothes in a tub, without phones, tv or computers, they wouldn’t prob’ly have lots a time.

Time isn’t a commodity, it’s a given. The choices come in how we spend it.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

"Cleaner Logs" Are No Substitute

Q. My wife and I recently moved into a house with a nice fireplace, and we love to have a fire going almost every night. I want to make sure the chimney does not get too filled with creosote, however, so about once a month I burn a "cleaner log" that says it cleans the creosote from chimneys. A friend told me these logs are useless. What’s your take? -- Jamie T., Hartford, Conn.

A. While the cleaner log industry might argue with me, I’m inclined to side with your friend on this one. Burning matter -- wood, paper and so on -- creates ash, soot and other byproducts. Much of this floats up and out of the chimney, but some of it -- especially heavier particles -- drifts to the side and down and adheres to the inside of the chimney. It doesn’t matter how "clean" an item burns -- it still produces ash, soot, pitch and other residues. A "cleaner log" produces less of these items, but you’re still burning something in your fireplace.

A better way to maintain your fireplace for the long run -- and ensure nice, bright and warm fires for many years to come -- is to avoid burning items that contribute more creosote deposits than others. These include trash, food items, glossy magazines, "cheap" wood like many pine logs, and green wood (fresh-cut wood that hasn’t had time to season properly).

Once a year, in the late spring or summer, have a professional chimney cleaner inspect, clean and make any needed repairs to your chimney. He or she will check the system thoroughly -- including a look up on the roof at the stack -- and will scrub away creosote deposits. That’s the only sure way to have a clean fireplace system.

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HOME TIP: Hardwoods like oak and birch that have been well-seasoned (allowed to cure outdoors for several months after cutting) are among the cleanest-burning materials for your fireplace.