Today's Feature

New Meeting Time.

The Public Works Committee will meet this afternoon at 5:00 p.m. in the Public Works building, 623 E. 7th Street. The meeting time for this committee was formerly earlier in the day, but the meeting time has been changed to accommodate the new Council representatives on the committee.

Items on the agenda for today’s meeting include the discussion of an administrative lot split at 10th and Fulton streets, discussion of code official procedure changes and the discussion of Capital Improvement Projects for the 2009 Fiscal Year. Committee members include; Dan Rife, Larry Ross, Keith Hurlbut and Scott Giett.

Maple Leaf Theme Entry Deadline.

May 9, 2008 is the final day that the Carthage Chamber will accept citizens’ theme ideas for the 42nd Annual Carthage Maple Leaf Festival. The Carthage Chamber of Commerce has invited the public to help pick out this year’s theme for the Festival. "We are looking for a creative, fresh new idea for this year’s theme," says Amber Carrier, Director of Member Services for the Carthage Chamber. Citizens can summit their ideas by dropping them by the Chamber office, through mail, fax, or in e-mail form. The person who chooses the winning theme will win a $25 gift certificate redeemable at any Chamber of Commerce member.

Past years’ themes were:

"The Colors of Carthage"

"The Tradition Continues"

"A Hometown Celebration"

The public can submit their entries by fax at 417-358-7479, by email at: membership@carthagechamber.com, and by mail to 402 S. Garrison, Carthage, Mo. 64836.

For more information, contact the Carthage Chamber of Commerce at 417-358-2373.

Mornin'
I see where they had another survey ta see if they oughta keep makin’ pennies. Over sixty percent of the folks asked said we still need pennies.

The biggest problem with not havin’ a red cent would be in payin’ sales tax. For most, payin’ a extra penny or two doesn’t hurt much, but ya know they’d start roundin’ off up to the nearest nickel and that’d increase taxes too much. It would cause too much turmoil.

I’ve noticed they’ve started collectin’ sales tax on a dime. That equals a 10% tax on kids that buy a stick of candy or bubble gum. What would they do if all we had were nickels?

‘Course it would eliminate the problem of folks payin’ parkin’ tickets with pennies.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

To Your Good Health
By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Fibroids Are Noncancerous Growths of the Uterus.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I had stomach pain for two weeks and finally had an ultrasound of my abdomen. Nothing bad was found, except for a fibroid in my uterus. The doctor said this had nothing to do with my pain. He must be right, because the pain went away. Do I need to pursue the fibroid thing any further? The doctor never said I should. -- L.C.

ANSWER: Fibroids are benign (not cancerous) growths of the uterine muscle. The uterus is a muscular sac with a specialized lining for the support of a developing fetus. Fibroids are very prevalent. Forty percent to 50 percent of women over the age of 35 have one or more of them.

Their cause is baffling. Genes have some role, because they run in families. Hormones influence their growth. As evidence of that, they enlarge during pregnancy and usually regress after menopause, when estrogen production wanes.

Most often, fibroids are incidental findings that need no attention. I’m putting your fibroid in that category.

Troublesome fibroids can lead to heavy menstrual periods. Sometimes they’re the source of pelvic pain. Large fibroids pressing on the bladder give rise to frequent urination. Large fibroids also can complicate pregnancy, depending on their size and location. Extremely rarely are they implicated in infertility.

You should let your gynecologist know that a fibroid was discovered, but you don’t need to take any more action than that.