Today's Feature

"Better Your Business" Seminar.

News release

The Carthage Chamber of Commerce will host a ‘Better Your Business’ seminar titled ‘How To Start and Expand Your Business’ on Thursday, May 11 from 10AM-2PM at Southwest Missouri Bank Community Room, located at 2417 South Grand Avenue. The seminar is open to the public and free of charge. Lunch will be provided. Class size is limited to the first 20 reservations. Reservation deadline is Tuesday, May 9.

"We are very excited to be able to offer this lunch-n-learn style event to the Carthage business community," said Debra Smith, Director of Member Services. "The Chamber’s Retail and Small Business Committee has been working to develop this specific seminar for about a year."

Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration office, Small Business Development Center, and Alliance for Business Consulting and Development will be on hand to inform participants on how to find small business funding, manage employees, set goals, and build a successful business plan. After each speaker a brief question and answer session will be held allowing attendees to obtain the information they may need to build their business.

Developed as a semi-annual series by the Chamber’s Retail and Small Business Committee, Better Your Business seminar topics were derived from results of the Chamber’s 2004 and 2005 Membership Survey. Based on these results, the Chamber will host a fall seminar focusing on ways to build business relationships within the Hispanic community.

For additional information contact Debra Smith at 417-358-2373.

Budget Meeting This Evening.

The City Council Budget/Ways and Means committee will meet today at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall to continue the budget process for the 2007 fiscal year.

Stench Report:
Friday,
5/5/06

No Stench
Detected on Carthage
Square

I still get a big kick outa some of the studies and their conclusions.

I see the other day that some group has spent money figurin’ out that quality day care is somehow related to kids that don’t end up in jail as often. They compared these kids to ones who were visited at least four times a year at home by social workers.

Like all studies, the conclusions are drawn that fit the expectations. I suppose there are some who would conclude that social workers should stop checkin’ on kids. Seems they are the ones that get in trouble more often.

‘Course some common sense would tell ya that kids with any kind of quality care make for more stable adults. Just a guess, but stable adults prob’ly raise more stable kids.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

These Spurs Don’t Jingle Jangle

Q: I am in dire need of your advice on controlling an epidemic crop of sandspurs. We live in Florida, and the soil is a loose sand. Each year the sandspurs become uncontrollable, as I don’t want to destroy the remaining grass. What can I use to eradicate the sandspurs so the grass can be cultivated? -- R. Panton, via e-mail

A: I’m not a lawn expert, but I did grow up in Florida, so I have a lot of experience with those pesky sandspurs. Most of this experience involves plucking the darn things off the soles of my feet, so I feel your pain. Officially known as sandbur (Cenchrus insertus), these weeds, which feature outgrowths of prickly green or tan "burs," are common in sandy soil throughout the southern United States.

Unfortunately, these plants are as tough and ornery as the land that made them, which makes eradication difficult. You may never be completely rid of them, since the burs (which contain the seed) can be carried long distances by whatever host brushes against them.

Reducing sandspurs can’t be done easily, but there are two avenues to consider. Both take a lot of work up front. It’s the long-term care that differs between them.

The first method is to selectively eradicate the existing sandspurs and then prevent them from coming back. To do this, you’ll need to either pull the weeds out by hand (a tough job, as they’re deeply rooted) or spray them with a selective weed-killer that won’t kill your variety of grass. Then, fertilize the remaining lawn to encourage healthy grass, monitor for fresh growths of sandspur, and hope for the best.

The second method is extreme, but if the sandspur growth has taken over your lawn to the point that pulling them or spraying weed-killer is useless, then you should consider it. Here, the soil itself is addressed: if the soil is sandy and highly porous, replace the soil. This requires you to remove the existing grass completely (best done in its die-off season, which is November-February in Florida). Add a layer of nutrient-rich humus and mix in organic matter (mulch, dry leaves, etc.). Let that stew for a month, then add grass seed (or sod) and fertilize.

As the new grass emerges, watch closely for new sandspurs. Pull them out as soon as you see them. The combination of healthy, thicker soil and close monitoring during initial growth will lead to a lush, bur-resistant lawn, with less care required in the long run.

HOME TIP

Don’t burn sandspurs to dispose of them -- besides the "burn bans" that many towns enforce, the prickly spurs aren’t destroyed, and the heat may make it easier for the seeds to disperse and germinate, increasing the infestation. Bag them up instead.