Today's Feature

Leaf Collection Concerns.

City Administrator Tom Short spoke during the Public Works meeting on Tuesday saying that the City is looking into leaf collection methods implemented in other nearby cities. Short said that he and Mayor Johnson had been to Monett and Joplin to look at their practices, and found both to be quite labor intensive.

Street Commissioner Tom Shelley said that he has worked with different leaf collection machines before and would rather pick up leaves with a backhoe and a loader if he had a choice. Shelley further recommended that the City try putting a ban on leaf burning and observing whether or not a leaf collection system would be needed.

Tom Short concurred that the City would not rush into a decision, but said he would be collecting information and would try to have some options to look at in the next month.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler gave his first monthly report to the committee which showed 28 total permits issued for the month of November as opposed to the 39 permits issued for November of last year.

I don’t know anything about potbellied pigs. I plan on keepin’ it that way.

Some animal lovin’ friends of some folks we know had a couple dozen potbellied pigs that were startin’ to cause some problems with other neighbors in their rural setting. Seems they’d go off in a bunch and dig up all this one neighbor’s flowers down the road a piece. Several legal type threats were enough to convince the animal lovin’ neighbors to start givin’ away the pigs.

That was pretty much the situation when we were visitin’ the folks we knew. They mentioned the situation and of course after meetin’ the animal lovin’ neighbors, I was offered a pig or two.

Fortunately, I’ve learned my lesson by acceptin’ "free" puppies. They don’t come cheap.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Natural Nutrition

By Mari An Willis

Good morning! If one is faced with a particular challenge, one of the most valuable tools is information. To seek resolution through research is to empower oneself. It allows us to "get a handle" on a disease that may be affecting our daily lives.

Let’s consider the liver. It is a big filter with many important jobs. As with any other important thing we want to take good care of it and give it special attention. The following are some herbs which have been used to traditionally support the function of the liver:

Dandelion Root - aids the liver in removing toxins from the bloodstream.

Milk Thistle - sometimes referred to by the active ingredient of Silymarin, this powerful cleanser is used in Europe as a remedy for mushroom poisoning. It has been historically used to treat disorders of the liver including hepatitis, cirrhosis and poisoning from many sources of ingested substances. It is said that it helps increase new liver cells to replace damages ones.

Artichoke extract - breaks down fat, improves bile flow while increasing excretion of cholesterol and decreasing synthesis of cholesterol in the liver.

Tumeric - just look at the beautiful color and one knows it could be of benefit to the liver. It is a spice which could be used on a daily basis. It is known as a powerful antiinflammatory and appears to enhance liver function.