The Budget Committee began whittling away at budget requests for the fiscal year 2000/2001 during its meeting Wednesday evening.

The first order of business was the consideration of a request by the Police and Fireman’s Pension Fund for an increase in the City’s contribution to fund a cost of living adjustment for retired personnel. Committee Chair Jackie Boyer stated she saw no support from the Committee to increase the City’s contribution and therefore would not make a recommendation to the Council.

The rest of the meeting dealt mainly with a review of department operations budgets. The Committee made minor adjustments but most departmental operations budgets were judged justified.

The Committee gave tentative approval to a lease purchase for two new fire trucks, approximately $250,000 after trade in’s, and for a new Parks and Recreation Maintenance facility which is estimated to cost approximately $285,000. A replacement building for the Street Department will add approximately $80,000 to the budget in addition to the $106,000 that was received from insurance.

Sculpture Session to Begin June 8th.

by Robin Putnam, artCentral

We all had a great time last Friday evening at the reception for Margi Burch !! We are pleased to tell you that Margi brought soooo much art that we have the second floor Member’s Gallery full as well as both downstairs galleries !! There is truly something for every-one !! Actually her paintings cover subjects from Angels to Zebras and everything in between !!

Our latest adventure aka the sculpture sessions are scheduled to begin on June 8th. We’ll meet every Thursday from 3-5pm. Due to the size of our classroom we will have to limit the number of people attending to six. We feel like six artists, the model and her props plus a sculpture stand for each person will just about fill up the space. Last count we had a full house for the first month!!

It is soooo great to have the support from the artists in our community as well as surrounding communities !!

Our Life Drawing sessions will follow sculpture after a break of about an hour. Anyone interested in either of these sessions should just call us and we’ll get you all set up !!

We’re moving forward on getting the cool pottery room equipment !! L & R Specialties in Nixa is holding an electric wheel for us and will be ordering us a kiln setter. They will have to install it for us so SOME-ONE will have to take the kiln to Nixa !! It’s a great idea, the kiln setter, because it is like a safety mechanism.

We have also ordered two fabulous electric wheels from Lockerbie in California !! These are the coolest wheels ever !! MSSC has some and they have survived 25 plus years of student miss-use !! Oops...we mean student use.

Once we get all this equipment set up we will literally be cookin’ !!

If you haven’t gotten out here yet do try to stop in. We have some very nice work on exhibit !!

Don’t forget artCamp 2000!! Registration is going on now through July 8th !! 12 days of fun, $12 per day !

More.......next week. 358-4404. 1110 E 13th & www. ozarkartistscolony.com under organizations. Our hours are Tues. - Sat. 9am - 3pm.

If ya haven’t made plans to get out to the Civil War Reenactment over the weekend, ya need to reconsider. I enjoy the battle shows well enough, but the real interest I have is goin’ round the campgrounds lookin’ at the authentic gear these folks use.

Besides the clothing, they typically use authentic cook ware, tents, bedding and nearly ever’thing you could think of.

The sights and smells of the tents and campfires after dark is also part of the experience that a lot a folks don’t take advantage of. Worth a few minutes to walk through even if ya don’t make it to the more active portions of the weekend.

You’ll even find some folks that can "talk the talk" if you’re interested.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Oak Street health & herb

MSM, or methylsulfonylmethane, is a naturally occurring element which our bodies utilize for a variety of daily functions. In a recent article by Dr. George Gillson, M.D., Ph.D., printed in the BIO/TECH NEWS, he explains MSM in layman terms. You may have heard about it on a few of the T.V. talk or news shows in the recent past. Dr. Gillson states that MSM helps allergies & asthma "by moderating the response to all types of allergens including the things we eat, breathe and touch. " MSM has been effective for the relief of stomach pain, indigestion, and bloating: "it may eliminate the need for antacids and prescription acid-blocking drugs. It can normalize bowel function." Dr. Gillson goes on to state the benefits he has seen in those suffering from leg cramps, arthritis, tendonitis and healing of wounds. He has seen especially dramatic results in those suffering from psorasis.

Sounds too good to be true until you realize that it is another of the nutrients which is no longer available in our foods, but our bodies require. It is available in very fresh foods which have been watered by the rain, not the garden hose. Unfortunately, most of us eat the vegetables which have been picked green and shipped in refrigerated trucks then maybe sprayed with ethylene oxide to ripen them. No MSM there.

MSM should not be confused with "sulfa". This is not the same element and there is no evidence to back allergic reactions to MSM. We have seen some remarkable results in our family with skin conditions and achy joints.