PREVAILING WAGE NOTICE OF

EXCESSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT

This ruling has little affect on Carthage as most contracted work is already completed for this year. Specs for the R-9 Tech Center included this regulation. This area of Missouri will mainly be affected by not be able to use employees with residence in Oklahoma. Illinois and Iowa workers will also be affected.

Only Missouri laborers and laborers from nonrestrictive states are allowed by law to be employed on Missouri’s public works projects when the unemployment rate exceeds 5% for two consecutive months. (See Sections 290.550 through 290.580 RSMo.) The unemployment rate has exceeded 5% for the past two months. Therefore, this statute is in effect and will remain in effect as long as this notice is posted.

Nonrestrictive states, which includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories, as of January 2008 are: Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The "Stress Test" 19

by Paul Kiel, www.ProPublica.org

In February, regulators began performing "stress tests" on the nation’s 19 largest banks in an effort to see how much more money they need to survive a steep economic downturn. Testing the bank’s assets against a pessimistic economic scenario, regulators will establish whether the bank needs an "additional capital buffer". If so, the bank will have three options. For banks that need additional cash, they will have a six-month window to raise it privately. If they can’t do that, the Treasury Department will come through with an investment. And in some cases, banks that have already taken bailout money will be given the option to simply convert those preferred shares to common stock.

Of the 19 companies undergoing the stress tests (a list we first published in early March), 18 of the companies have already taken bailout cash.

More Stress

by Paul Kiel, www.ProPublica.org

The stress test rumor mill continues to heat up. "At least" six of the 19 banks have been told they need more of a capital buffer, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, according to the Financial Times, Citigroup has been scrambling to raise the additional capital they’ve been told they need, so that they won’t have to take even more bailout cash. And the behind-the-scenes haggling between regulators and the banks about the results of the stress tests has led the government to push back the public release of those results from Monday, May 4, to possibly as late as Wednesday of next week.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

There are at least a couple a things that people don’t understand. They know what happens, they just can’t say why.

The scientists don’t know why clouds build up an electrical charge that eventually turns into lightnin.’ They can explain what happens from that point on, but they still can’t figure out why the charge is there in the first place.

When a small child it hooked up so they can see brain waves, the sound of their parent’s voice sets off an explosion of activity. Showin’ ‘em a favorite toy or food only activates a small portion of brain waves.

In this age of technological advance it somehow seems odd, but I suppose there is some comfort in knowin’ we don’t know it all.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Sponsored by Curry Automotive

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom an Ray:

If a mechanic is not wearing a wedding ring, is that a true indication of his marital status? I think my mechanic is HOT, but depending on your response to the ring issue, I’m also concerned that if he took me up on a date offer, but found he didn’t really like me, I’d loose a great mechanic. What do you think? - Rachel

TOM: Absolutely! You can’t pass up the possibility of happiness just because you might have to find a new mechanic!

RAY: You’re right about the ring though. Most mechanics don’t wear wedding rings when they work. Mostly because it’s unsafe.

TOM: A ring can get caught on things under the hood.

RAY: The other reason is because they get all scuffed up. Most of us take them off when we get to work, and put them in a safe place in our toolboxes.

TOM: I’ve got a whole drawer full of wedding rings in my toolbox.

RAY: So, you need a different way to determine whether your HOT mechanic is available, Rachel. Here’s what I’d do...

TOM: Does it involve deception?

RAY: Of course! Tell him you’ve been hearing a little creaking noise when you go over speed bumps. Tell him it’s been worrying you. And when he reassures you that it’s nothing serious, you say, "So you’d feel safe letting your wife drive this car?"

TOM: And if he says, "I don’t have a wife," then you say, "OK, what about your girlfriend?"

RAY: And if says, "I don’t have a girlfriend either," you say, "Want one?"

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Kahne Starts Strong for Petty, Dodge

With a new team and a new outlook this season, Kasey Kahne is off to a great start with the newly combined Richard Petty Motorsports.

And after the first seven races of the Sprint Cup season, Kahne raced back into the top-12 standings (10th after Texas) and after a good showing in Atlanta.

"We had a good race. We got behind on that one deal early in the race there on pit road, and it took us a long time to get our lap back," Kahne said. "We actually ran second to Kurt (Busch) one lap down for over 100 laps in the race. We finally got it (lap) back and ended up with seventh, which I think was pretty good. I think that we were more of a fourth- or fifth-place car on a long run and probably seventh early in the run. It worked out good for us. I’m real happy with where our points are right now."

Kahne says he’s benefited from Petty’s work ethic already this season.

"He’s just a cool guy that’s done a ton in this sport. He’s a good guy to have on your side. From my side -- and I think everybody that sees him at the shop walking around -- he’s an icon. Now that he hangs out there and is part of our teams, it’s exciting and fun. It gives everybody a good attitude."

Kahne’s landed in the top five once, top 12 twice and has averaged about a 14.6 finish. Kyle Busch and Kahne have become Dodge’s top cars at this point in the season. All of the manufacturer’s cars are running with the long-awaited R6 engine.

"I think that the biggest thing is that it shows the Dodge teams that, hey, these cars can go fast. I think Kurt (Busch) is showing that. ... I feel like the Dodges did a real good job of making gains. We have a ways to go, but we definitely did a good job up to this point."

With Phoenix ahead -- a track Kahne has not run well at with only one top-five finish and three top-10s in nine races -- the driver says the good weather will add to great conditions for a good race.

"To me, it’s a neat place to go (race). We haven’t run that well there," he said. "We’ve kind of been up-and-down there it seems like. ... Early on (in my career) I did (in 2004). Since then, I haven’t, and I need to step it up there and figure out how to go fast there."