SEARCH BEGINS

CARTHAGE – John Bode, President-Chamber of Commerce/Economic Development Director submitted his resignation to the Chamber of Commerce Board on November 19, 2009. A search will begin immediately to fill this position.

Bode will continue to serve as President until a replacement can be found. "My wife and I have enjoyed our 3 years in Carthage and it is with sadness that I must resign as President of the Carthage Chamber of Commerce." Bode will be moving back to northeast Missouri because of family matters that need his attention.

A search committee has been formed and will begin the process immediately. Lora Phelps, Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman, stated, "John has been a great asset to our community and shared a lot of knowledge with the leaders of our city. He provided Carthage with a clear vision of what is needed to be successful in Economic Development. We are pleased that he is willing to continue to serve until we can find someone to fill this position. And we are confident that we will find someone who can help us transition into the future."

The neighbor kids I grew up around were always comin’ up with games. These were not devious games, they were serious activities that sometimes caused major controversy, especially with the parents.

‘Course we put together variations on traditional games like baseball, football, hide and seek and the sort, but the real interest was in comin’ up with games that suited the surroundings. The nearby plowed field was always available for clod fights, but even these had rules, mainly, no rocks.

The beauty of these made up games was that the kids set the rules. Once ever’one agreed on the game, we tested it out for a while. Any changes were discussed in a "time-out." The game would continue until it lost favor and was replaced with the latest inspiration.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Winter Must-Dos

Q: As a new transplant to the Northeast, I’m a bit worried about dealing with cold weather emergencies this winter. Are there any must-do’s that I need to address in my home? -- Fay in Brattleboro, Vt.

A: You’re asking at a really good time, just before winter rolls into the northern part of the United States. So you can tackle some of these cold-weather tips right away.

Outside your home, mulch well around shrubs and small trees to protect them from freezing temperatures. Clear any clutter from walkways and driveways so that no one trips over things buried in the snow and so that shoveling snow away is easier. Clean leaves and debris from the gutters around the roof so that they aren’t damaged by ice dams.

Inside your home, the furnace is of prime importance during the cold season. Schedule a maintenance checkup of the entire system if you haven’t done so yet, and have repairs made sooner rather than later. Throughout the winter, change the furnace filter every month -- it’s an easy home-maintenance task that will keep the air inside healthy and the furnace working efficiently.

Assemble a winter emergency kit and keep it easily accessible -- either in the garage or a storage area of the house. The kit should contain an emergency blanket for each member of the house (reflective emergency blankets are available at camping stores), as well as a first-aid kit, flashlights, a radio and extra batteries.

Finally, and most important, make sure that you have both smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in place throughout the house. If either goes off, get the entire family outside right away and then call emergency services.