Incumbents Reign.

Voters in the local election yesterday registered their approval of more of the same by bringing incumbents back for another term. Current School Board members Neel Baucom and Steven Montague were reelected along with Fifth Ward City Council member Don Stearnes. Stearnes defeated challenger Leonard Harlan 183 to 36.

Both Baucom and Montague led the School Board election throughout the evening counting process, but Dwight Arner and Deborah Baugh made good showings. The final count was Baucom 836, Montague 632, Arner 458, and Baugh 310.

First time Fourth Ward write-in candidate Jim McPheeters won his bid for office without being on the ballot. McPheeters received 69 votes for the post. Since no one filed for candidacy in the Fourth Ward, all write-in votes were considered valid under Missouri statute. Four other write-in candidates, Barbara Blades, Orville Bishop, Richard Ferguson, and Bob Dilcher all received one vote each. It is not known if any of the four would have accepted the position. McPheeters was the only candidate to officially file as a write-in.

Those of us who watch the local election process are always attracted to the close races. Like the Golden City School Board, one vote decided the second position there. The kicker is that of 84 ballots cast, only 75 voted in the contest.

‘Course they got nothin’ on Purcell in the West Ward race. There 41 ballots were cast, 38 votes counted, and a dead heat of 19-19 between Delbert Russell Wood and Judy Welch. There’ll be some head scratchin’ over that one.

The real disappointment was out of 66,127 registered voters in the County, just 11% turned up at the polls. Carthage Ward Four showed us proud though, 294 voters out of just under 500 registered in the ward. Now there’s some good numbers.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

Prime Time With Kids

by Donna Erickson

Spending a Saturday afternoon at the movies can be a nice way to break a dull routine. For most kids, it’s a special event with the intrigue of a dark theater and the anticipation of the movie on a large screen. But how do you know which movies are suitable for young children? Obviously, movies rated "R" or "PG-13" also contain violence and inappropriate language.

So what’s a parent to do before venturing off to the local multiplex? Here are some tips to help guide your decision.

• Read All About It. Be sure to read at least one review of a movie you have in mind for your kids before saying, "Yes." Parenting magazines run capsule reviews of current films along with recommendations for kids of different ages.

• Beware of Advertising. Kids may be enticed to see a film by the promos they’ve seen on TV.

Explain that these ads show the best part of movies to try to get kids and their parents to come in - just like toy ads often do. If your kids’ interest continues and they are clamoring to see a particular film, check with other parents, teachers and friends to see what they’ve heard or recommended.

Don’t overlook nontraditional movie theaters such as IMAX screen theaters at some science museums and historic sites (such as near the Alamo) or offerings at planetariums and universities.

• See It With Them. By far the best thing you can do is attend the film with your kids. Be prepared to talk about its story and answer questions afterward.

If something you found objectionable appeared on the screen, talk about alternative ways the characters could have reacted. For example, "Instead of threatening the bad guys, is there another way that person could have solved the problem?"

Pass the popcorn!