The Mornin' Mail is published every weekday except major holidays
Monday, July 9, 2001 Volume X, Number 15

did ya know?

Did Ya Know?. . .The Southwest Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross has Air Conditioners to loan to residents of Carthage who are suffering heat related illness. For guidelines and additional information contact Mary Barksdale at 358-4334.

Did Ya Know?. . .The Family Fair Acres Family Y.M.C.A. Summer Indoor Soccer Mini-League registration deadline is July 10th, 2001. Fees are $12 for members and $18 for community participants. Saturday games will be held from July 21-Aug 11. Call Jarrod Newcomb at 358-1070 for more information.

Did Ya Know?. . .The Carthage Humane Society has cats that have been brought in from the city as strays. If your cat is lost call 358-6402.

today's laugh

A boss tried to help one of his employees improve his ways by telling him, "You have one bad habit. You never listen when people are talking to you. You get a faraway look and your mind wanders off. Promise me you’ll work on that."
The employee looked at him, "What was that you were saying?"

Wife: John, what becomes of a ball player when his eyesight starts to fail?
John: They make an umpire of him.

1901
INTERESTING MELANGE.
A Chronological Record of Events as they have Transpired in the City and County since our last Issue.

WANTED TO COME HERE.

In Hottest Hole on Earth Ft. Smith Fireman Thought of Carthage Shade.

C. B. Wood of the veteran fireman returned yesterday morning from Ft. Smith, and John Brownsill and Ed St. John got home last night. Steve Head came in this morning.

The Carthage ex-fire fighters report that Ft. Smith is the "hottest hole on earth," and that the tournament was comparatively uneventful.

The firemen wanted to bring the next annual meeting to Carthage, and openly expressed themselves so, but there was nobody on hand, or no arrangements made, to encourage the meeting to come here, and it went to Kansas City.

Geo. Leggett this morning received an elegant new $100 Parker gun, and will show the boys some fancy shooting with it.

  Today's Feature

New MGE Delivery Rates.



After an extensive review process, Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) received approval to adjust its delivery rates. Residential customers will see increases of about $1.50 a month starting in August.

"By working together, the parties were able to resolve issues, advance initiatives and ultimately obtain Commission approval nearly three months ahead of schedule," said Robert Hack, vice president of regulatory affairs for MGE.

MGE filed its original proposal with the Missouri Public Service Commission (MPSC) last November to reflect increased costs including significant investments in safety line replacements, public improvement relocation projects and new construction. An agreement on the increase proposal was reached in late June with the company, the staff of the MPSC, the Office of the Public Counsel and other parties.

The increase will primarily be recovered through adjustments to the monthly customer charge. For residential customers, the customer charge will be adjusted from $9.05 to $10.13. Charges for small commercial and industrial customers will increase from $11.05 to $13.55 and large commercial and industrial customers will increase from $65.80 to $83.25. The volumetric energy charge for all customers will increase slightly. In addition to the customer charge and energy charge adjustments, the company is also increasing fees for various connection, transfer and reconnection services.

As part of the new rate structure, the company will continue to provide $250,000 a year to the city of Kansas City’s weatherization program. The company will also provide an additional $90,000 for weatherization efforts throughout other counties served by MGE.

The new residential rates include a $.08 per month charge to provide funding for an experimental low-income rate. The experimental program will operate in Joplin, providing financial assistance to a maximum of 1,000 low-income families. Participants in the experimental plan will receive bill credits of either $20 or $40 a month, depending on income. The effectiveness of the plan, which is scheduled to run for two years, will be evaluated by an independent third party.



Just Jake Talkin'

Mornin',

It’s odd how technology trickles down through the economy.

Take air conditioners for instance. Anyone lookin’ at the effect of keepin’ a house or office cool in the summer would probl’ly realize that small circulatin’ fans would be in less demand.

What may not have been so evident is the almost complete extinction of another appliance that was common when fans were always runnin’ and windows were open in an office, the paper weight.

‘Course now that computers are eliminatin’ at least some of the paper bein’ used in the office, the future of this formerly useful device in almost certainly doomed for eternity. My guess is that few mourn the absence of these functional desk ornaments, now hidden in a drawer with the ash tray.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Sponsored

by

Workman's Loan

Weekly Column

The Super Handyman

by Al Carrell & Kelly Carrell

Dear Al: I always start off each growing season with sharp shovels and hoes. You wouldn’t believe how much faster you can chop down weeds or dig a hole for a tree when you have a sharp tool.

It takes about 10 minutes to sharpen each tool, and it usually lasts me a whole season. Sharpening a shovel also takes the strain off its handle, since you don’t have to put so much weight behind it when you’re using it. - M.K.

Q. I have 4-inch ceramic tiles around my kitchen sink and on my counter tops. The filler between the tiles has worn down in some spots, and it looks bad when it is dirty. Is there a way to fill in these bad spots? - G.P.

A: The filler between the tiles themselves - the grout - is available in a ready mix or powder form.

The filler between the sink and the tiles is usually caulk. Get a caulk specified for use on tubs or sinks. Since the caulk has some flexibility, it can better handle the problems of expansion and contraction between the two different materials, tile and sink.

Remove the old grout and fill the joints with the right color of new grout, and use the caulk where it is needed.

A SUPER HINT - Instead of mowing over your lawn sprinkler heads or trying to edge around them, use a tin can. Empty the can, and clean it out. Place it, open-side down, over the sprinkler head and push down. The can will cut right through the grass, and you can pull the sod right up.

   

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