Community Policing Work Day.

Volunteers Appreciated.

The Carthage Police Department has announced another Community Policing Work Day. On April 21st, 2012 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm the Carthage Police Department and local volunteers will be working in a targeted area helping the community with their specific needs. The Carthage Police Department has teamed up with the Ministerial Alliance and businesses within the community in an effort to reduce crime and help residents clean up their neighborhood. Many local businesses have donated their time and resources for this program.

The designated area for the Community Policing area is all businesses and residences north of Central Avenue within the city limits. Many residents have responded to the program and are making efforts to correct problems within the area.

The Carthage Police Department Mobile Command Bus will be placed in the 200 block of N. Maple on April 21st for anyone wanting to help with this community event. Volunteers are welcome to sign up at this location and obtain information on assisting a need in the Community Policing area. If there are any questions contact the Community Policing Officers Ben Vogt and Chris Vandegevel at 417-674-1930 or at the Carthage Police Department 417-237-7200.

Art in the Park.

"Art in the Park/National Junior Ranger Day" is coming up at George Washington Carver National Monument, Saturday, April 28th form 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The theme for National Park Week is "Picture Yourself in a National Park".

Artists will be at work across park grounds, workshops will be provided to teach techniques with acrylics, pastels, pencils, and clay, and at 11:00 a.m. featured artist Mike Wimmer from Oklahoma City will present his original paintings commissioned for George Washington Carver National Monument. His paintings are featured on new exhibits along the Carver trail.

In the National Park Service A Call to Action Strategic Plan charting a path toward the 2016 centennial of the National Park Service, one action concept, "Arts Afire" showcases the meaning of national parks to new audiences by encouraging youth to create expressions of their park experience via arts and social media. In response, "Art in the Park" will feature a Budding Artists area. Young artists will enjoy the thoroughly interactive stations geared for kids, as part of National Junior Ranger Day.

The event is free of charge, The Carver Birthplace Association will offer a concession stand with snacks for sale from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In case of rain, all activities will take place inside the spacious visitor center.

Carthage Chamber Business Expo 2012.

Over 40 exhibitors have committed to be at the Chamber Business Expo 2012. Thursday, April 26th from 5-7 will be the Business After Hours, sponsored by John Hoffer Dodge, for the business professionals of our local communities. Food and beverages will be provided by B&C Catering, Domino’s Pizza, Missouri Eagle and the Carthage Chamber.

Friday, April 27th 10-6 the Expo will be open to the public. An iPad provided by Cornerstone Family Dental and makeover provided by Dr. Fly’s Salon as grand prizes, food samples from B&C Catering and Domino’s Pizza on site, hourly door prizes, goodie bags to the first 500 attendees and lots of other promotions.

Court Order Approving Settlement With Joplin Contractor.

Attorney General Chris Koster has obtained a court order requiring a contractor who failed to complete work on homes in Joplin damaged by the tornado to pay restitution.

The contractor, William Pittman of Owasso, Oklahoma, did business as Precision Contracting and Roofing and as CWRP, LLC. Pittman accepted payment from Joplin homeowners to repair their homes but failed to complete all of the work.

Under the terms of the settlement, Pittman must pay $4,500 in restitution to consumers who were harmed and a $2,000 penalty to the state. The Attorney General will also hold Pittman accountable for any consumer who files a complaint within the next 60 days and provides documentation of loss caused by the defendants. Any consumers who paid money to William Pittman d/b/a Precision Contracting and Roofing or CWRP, LLC d/b/a Precision Contracting and Roofing, but have not been provided the goods or services, should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or ago.mo.gov and file a consumer complaint.

The agreement filed in court also requires Pittman to comply with Missouri consumer laws and all state and local business registration and license requirements.

Maple Leaf Applications Available at Carthage Youth Expo.

Many 46th Annual Maple Leaf applications, including pageant (baby through Queen), commercial, food and craft booths and lighting contest, will be available at the Carthage Youth Expo, Saturday, April 21st from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Fair Acres Family YMCA.

Prizes for many of the contests will be given. Lighting contest winners will receive decorative yard stones. Winners in the baby and toddler division will win a trophy and ribbon. Little Miss and Mister, Junior Miss and Princess winners will each win a $50 savings bond and the Queen and her first and second runner up, will each win a cash scholarship prize.

Former Governor Roger Wilson Indicted.

Former Governor Roger Wilson and a St. Louis attorney were indicted last week on charges that they were involved in illegal contributions to the Missouri Democratic Party from the state-created Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance company.

The indictment charged that Wilson, in his former capacity as chief executive officer at Missouri Employers Mutual, embezzled money from the company through legal bills to attorney Edward J. Griesedieck, a partner at the Herzog Crew Law firm in St. Louis, for the purpose of a political contribution to the Missouri Democratic Party.

When news broke Thursday, the Missouri Republican Party charged that "it is obvious" that individuals at the Missouri Democratic Party, including Gov. Jay Nixon, must have known about the source of the funds.

In this election year, hoping to tie Nixon to Wilson, Republicans circulated a photograph of the two together at a 2007 fundraiser. Nixon, however, was not specifically mentioned in the indictment.

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Jasper County Jail Count

167 April 18, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

Weekly Column

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

My car time-travels into the future. I have a 2004 Volvo XC70 station wagon (I know it’s dowdy, but it’s better than a minivan, right?) that for some reason does not keep proper time. I can set the clock to the correct time, and within days it will be running fast. Within two months, the clock is fast by 20 minutes. I can understand losing time because of a weak battery or something, but advancing in time? Any thoughts? OK, let me clarify that: Any thoughts pertaining to my question?-- Lisa

TOM: We actually do have a few of those, Lisa.

RAY: If you’re the kind of person who is chronically late, you may have a spouse who is surreptitiously nudging your clock ahead in an attempt to get you to be on time.

TOM: Most likely, Lisa, the clock itself is faulty. And, unfortunately, the clock in this car is part of the instrument cluster.

RAY: And when you find out that in order to replace this clock, you have to replace the whole instrument cluster for $1,000, you’ll embrace the time-honored solution for malfunctioning automotive clocks.

TOM: You’ll go to the hardware store, and for four bucks, you’ll buy yourself one of those stick-on digital clocks. You’ll peel off the backing and slap it right onto the instrument panel, over where your current clock sits.

RAY: Now, it’s possible that your entire instrument cluster is beginning to fail. If something crucial in the cluster stops functioning -- like the speedometer -- you may be forced to replace the whole thing at that point.

TOM: Or, if you’re lucky, your regular mechanic will know one of the places that fixes these panels for a few hundred bucks, and he’ll be able to send it out for you.

artCentral

ART NOTES from Hyde House

by Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

Time is short before we will be holding summer kid’s artCamp, and I am excited to continue the planning in earnest. I had received the class proposals from 8 art instructors who will be participating again this year, but due to the many other things going on, had not had the time to sit down and compile them. I did so this past Sunday after spending Saturday at the art walk and then removing two displays that we had a part in during that event. With everything put away at the gallery, I sat down with the class proposals and typed them all into the computer, and this year’s proposals numbered 49! What a fun bunch of reading! Thirty have been chosen, and as is sometimes the case, a theme rose out of the group, and unbeknownst to any of them, "birds" was common to many proposals. "Angry Birds" is a popular computer game and theme for merchandising in the world arena, and artCamp will be offering two classes with this theme, additionally a more traditional bird class will be taught the history of the great bird artist Audubon and paint traditional birds while designing and constructing wacky bird nests of the kid’s creation. The bird classes are only a bit of what is coming up in our current artCamp which will be scheduled this year from July 16- 27th here at Hyde House with three classes being offered daily for the kid’s choosing. We will not be holding classes this year on Saturdays, but will continue for a third year with the kid’s art show on the Sunday that falls between weeks on July 22. I encourage you to call me with the names of kids who will qualify, ages 8-14, that may not have attended in the past but who might be interested. We will hold 30 completely different classes, and kids sign up for as many as they choose, one per day, each class completing in that day. I will again be offering some basic skills classes in drawing and painting, as well a two clay construction classes, and assorted "crafty" classes which will include jewelry making, some sewing and crochet, and just a bunch of fun activities for both boys and girls. If you have come in the past, you are already on my list to receive information, and the fliers should go to print this week. See you at artCamp!!!