Building Codes Discussed.

The City Council Public Works Committee is scheduled to review the proposed ordinance to adopt the International Building Code and Maintenance Code/2000 at this afternoon’s regular meeting in City Hall at 4 p.m. The first reading of the ordinance was postponed during the last Council meeting after several property owners in attendance questioned some provisions of the new code.

A flyer calling for support in defeating the ordinance has been distributed in the community by a group calling itself the Carthage Property Owners Association.

The flyer states that "The leadership of the town lacks compassion for the poor and feels that the property owners of our town should provide housing only to the elite of the city." According to the flyer Earnie Vaile and Carey Murphy are cofounders of the group and "between the two of us we have extensive political and legal experience." Both Vaile and Murphy spoke against the ordinance during the last Council meeting.

A citizen’s participation period is always scheduled for Public Works Committee meetings.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

With only a few weeks left before the November election, the campaign season is really heating up. If the public knew some of the things going on behind the scenes they should be outraged. One of the more recent events was Gov. Mel Carnahan attempting to bully the Missouri State Troopers Association.

Sen. John Ashcroft had been running a very factual ad about Carnahan’s record on crime in Missouri the last eight years. Carnahan, you will remember, called off the execution of a convicted triple murderer because the Pope asked him to do so. Anyway, Carnahan’s Chief of Staff talked to the chairman of the appropriations committee that oversees the budget of the Highway Patrol. The chairman, Rep. Scott Lakin, then called the president of the Missouri State Troopers Association and ‘urged’ him to protest the ad.

Although nothing was probably said regarding the budget for the Highway Patrol, when the chairman of an appropriations committee calls someone whose budget he has direct control over, there is the implicit threat of a huge hammer come budget time. I doubt if it is merely coincidence that the chairman of the appropriations committee was the one that made the call to the Troopers Association.

I’m sure you have all heard the saying that ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. That seems to be especially true here in Missouri where the democrat party has been in control of the House and Senate for nearly 50 years. I guess they figure that if the public isn’t going to hold them accountable and will just keep reelecting them year after year, they might as well pull stunts like this. Our troopers have enough to worry about without fear that their budget will be cut by a vindictive governor.

As usual, I can be reached at House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101, or 1-800-878-7126, or mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions, comments, or advice.

One a the most common concerns I heard expressed durin’ last week’s visioning forum was the lack of adequate housing in Carthage. Employers of all ranges of workers have trouble finding housing for existing and potential employees.

The creation of new housing and the preservation of existing housing were both seen as fairly equal priorities from what I heard. It appears that the topic of exactly what role the City should play in a housing solution will be put to the test this afternoon at the Public Works Committee meetin’.

One a the main objectives I see comin’ out a the visioning sessions is to get the community more involved in puttin’ together solutions. Looks like we’ve got a good start.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

Health Notes

Health & Nutrition by Judith Sheldon

FOOD FACTS: My brother had a kindergarten teacher from the Deep South who taught the class a song called "Picking Up Pawpaws and Putting Them In My Pocket." All these years later, I not only know what pawpaws are, but if I were under a pawpaw tree shedding pawpaws I’d pick them up and pocket them, too.

According to a release from Purdue University, pawpaws have all sorts of potential besides being a tasty food product. Apparently, the bark and twigs of the pawpaw tree and the seeds of the fruit contain asimicin, which could produce an effective botanical pesticide.

When tomatoes were first brought from the New World to Spain and Italy, they were considered as garden ornaments. Although there were reports the Central American Indians ate tomatoes, Europeans believed them to be poisonous. They were also thought to be the original Golden Apples that led to the abduction of Helen of Troy and the long war that followed. (Their name in Italian, pomidoro, means apple of gold.)

We now know they’re not just a tasty (and safe) food, but the lycopene in tomatoes could help reduce the risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, and pancreas, as well as cervical and prostate cancers.