Today's Feature

Hospital Cornerstone Ceremony Scheduled

News release

McCune-Brooks Hospital will stage a Cornerstone Placement Ceremony on Tuesday, August 21st at 10 AM.

This historic event will actually begin at 8:30 am Tuesday morning, with the loading of the 1905 and 1929 cornerstones currently located on the north side of the current hospital, into a horse drawn wagon driven by Presiding County Commissioner John Bartosh. A procession will be formed to transport the Cornerstones to their new resting place.

A monument has been erected on the front lawn near the main entrance of the new MCCUNE-BROOKS REGIONAL HOSPITAL located at 3125 Russell Smith Way in Carthage. The monument will contain the 2007 cornerstone along with the 1905 and 1929 cornerstones. Also featured in the monument will be the original McCune-Brooks Hospital name, chiseled in marble, which was located at the old hospital entrance. Two flag poles designated for the American and Missouri State flags will be incorporated into the structure.

This ceremony closely resembles a similar cornerstone laying event as reported by the Carthage Press on December 14th in 1905. The Press reports that a procession formed on West Third Street with T.K. Irwin as Grand Marshal. Others included in the procession were the Knights Templar, Master Masons, City Officials, Masonic Officers, Odd Fellows, the hospital board, ambulance and nursing personal and the fire department.

Refreshments will be provided after the ceremony, but unfortunately due to heavy construction planned for that day we will be unable to provide tours of the new facility. An opportunity for public tours is being planned for October 20th following the Maple Leaf Parade.

Members of the media will be given an advance preview of the new Martha Wickstrum Memorial Garden Area designed by the award winning Cripple Creek Construction Company of Kansas City. It features two beautiful rock fountains with a meandering stream running down the inside of the courtyard area. 30,000 gallons of water is expected to be pumped through the system every hour when it is complete.

The new McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital is a 145,000 sq. ft. facility; featuring 41 private patient rooms, expanded women’s program and ER services, an all new digital Radiology Department and a re-birth of McCune-Brooks’ obstetrics program including whirlpool baths, family rooms and individualized care. The hospital is expected to be completed in late November with a mid-December move-in date.

My thought is that any activity that gives the kid a feelin’ of accomplishment is gonna make ‘em feel better ‘bout themselves and teaches ‘em it’s all right to learn somethin’ new.

It gives feedback for what you learned. Instant gratification if you will.

Not all kids are gonna be interested in the same thing. Some kids may like paintin’ pictures and some may prefer makin’ paper airplanes.

This is why granddads show kids how ta whittle. Cuttin’ your finger a couple a times is sure instant gratification.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

A Friend in Need

Q: A friend of mine has been having some health and financial problems recently, and so I’ve been helping him out with a few things. My wife brings over dinner a couple times a week, and we help with cleaning and small fix-it items. His house has bigger issues though, including a big hole in the bathroom tile where the porcelain soap holder used to be -- the insulation and sheathing are visible, so I don’t know where the underlayment went. For now, I’ve covered the hole with plastic sheeting and duct tape. But the job looks bigger and more expensive than I can handle. What do you think? -- Joe T., via e-mail

A: First, kudos to you and your wife for being so dedicated to your friend and making his life easier. These seemingly small things -- making dinner, fixing a few things here and there -- probably take a load off your friend’s mind and are helping him get through this troubled time.

Some home repairs do take more than a few hours to complete, however, and the materials cost can also be great. Fortunately, many states have assistance programs, in the form of low-interest loans and (less frequently) grants, to help low-income homeowners make needed repairs.

Make a list of the bigger home repair projects around your friend’s home and investigate your state and local governments’ homeowner assistance programs. Then discuss the available options with him. If he decides to have the bigger repairs taken care of using an assistance loan or grant, you may want to be at his side while he negotiates with repair contractors and supervises the work being done.

HOME TIP: Home improvement, repair and disaster assistance programs are available in each state, although each program varies. Check your state’s Web site (a complete list is at www.usa.gov/Agencies/State_and_Territories.shtml) for details.