Bright Futures.

Carthage R-IX School District has announced that AmeriCorps VISTA member, Pamela Corkle, who will be working with the Bright Futures program to help meet the needs of students. Carthage Bright Futures is a community of Bright Futures USA.

Bright Futures is a grass roots, community based program that creates partnerships and utilizes community resources for the common goal of helping kids and strengthening families and community. AmeriCorps VISTA is a national service program that is designed specifically to eradicate poverty in the United States. The first VISTA volunteer for Carthage R-IX School district started on Friday, January 20, 2012.

Corkle will be contacting each of the Carthage R-IX’s schools over the next several weeks to determine the current needs of individual students. She will also be working with the staff through out the school district helping to determine student needs as well as communicating with local organizations, agencies, clubs, churches and others who will be given the opportunity to help meet the needs of area students.

Bright Futures believes that the ability to meet the needs of each student is already in the local community. It just is a matter of finding that one person with the time, talent or treasure who is able to meet the need. According to school representatives, Carthage R-IX School District is optimistic about Pamela being able to connect those in the community with the time, talent or treasure towards meeting a need of the students.

"At Carthage R-IX we are Inspiring Excellence in all of our students."

For more information or requests for Corkle to speak at an organization, contact her or Laurel B. Rosenthal the Principle of Mark Twain Elementary (417) 359-7080.

Extension Council Members Elected.

Eleven individuals were newly elected in the balloting that ended January 31, 2012, according to Peter Carter, council chair.

Newly elected members to serve two year terms are: Steve Hunter, Larry Jackson, Karen Moll, Glenn Moll, Jennifer Pryer, Shawn Pryer, Danny Read, Mark Russell, Donald Shoup and Gary Stubblefield. Barbara Hunter was elected to fill a one-year unexpired term.

These members will join the hold-over members: Emily Boydston, Debbie Carter, Peter Carter, Brian Fosdick, Margaret Hartman, Tom Howard, Bradley Moll, Jeff Simpson and Jennifer Simpson

Currently, the appointed members to the council are: Jim Honey (County Commission), Melodee Colbert-Kean (City of Joplin), Susan Knost (Farm Bureau) and Michele Hansford (City of Carthage).

The council has four major responsibilities. They are: (1) to advise the University of Missouri on needed extension educational programs, (2) approve the extension staff housed in Jasper County, (3) arrange for financing the Jasper County Extension Center and, (4) hold elections to perpetuate the Council.

Indictment for

Robo-signing.

Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorney General Chris Koster announced that a Boone County grand jury has handed down 136-count indictments against DOCX, LLC and its founder and former president, Lorraine Brown, for forgery and making a false declaration related to mortgage documents processed by DOCX.

"The grand jury indictment alleges that mass-produced fraudulent signatures on notarized real estate documents constitutes forgery," Koster said. "Today’s indictment reflects our firm conviction that when you sign your name to a legal document, it matters," Koster said.

The forgery and false declaration counts each allege that the person whose name appears on 68 notarized deeds of release on behalf of the lender is not the person who actually signed the paperwork. The documents were then submitted to the Boone County Recorder of Deeds.

Koster’s office requested the indictment, and the Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the case.

The indictments are the result of months of investigation by the Attorney General’s Office into the robo-signing scandal that injected thousands of questionable mortgage documents into the market. When the practice began to come to light, several major lenders temporarily suspended foreclosures in 2010. DOCX’s role in the robo-signing process came to national attention when 60 Minutes reported that Linda Green, an employee of DOCX, purportedly signed thousands of mortgage-related documents on behalf of several different banks and in multiple handwritings. The 68 documents on which the indictments are based were purportedly signed by Linda Green, but were allegedly signed by someone else.

The Attorney General’s investigation into this practice continues.

George Washington Carver 2012 Scholarship.

The Carver Birthplace Association (CBA), in conjunction with the George Washington Carver National Monument, is pleased to announce the tenth annual George Washington Carver Scholarship. The scholarship is a onetime award in the amount of $500.00 for the 2012/2013 academic year. It will be awarded to a local graduating high school senior, or local home school student receiving a GED certificate. Criteria for determining the award recipient will include academic achievement, community involvement and need. Students should plan to attend Iowa State University, Tuskegee University, Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, or an accredited college within a 100 mile radius of Diamond, Missouri, site of the George Washington Carver National Monument. Chosen area of study must include one of the following: Science, Art, Agriculture, Music, or Education.

Scholarship applications may be obtained from the Visitor Center at the George Washington Carver National Monument located at 5646 Carver Road, Diamond, Missouri (beginning 2/10/12), or from local high school guidance counselors (beginning 2/20/11). Applications must be submitted to the park by Friday March 16, 2012. For more information contact Krista L. Stark, CBA Director & Development Specialist by email at cba.volunteers@gmail.com or by phone at 417-437-8443 or 417-325-4151.

Jasper County Jail Count

199 February 8, 2011

Total Including Placed out of County

Weekly Column

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

I had a heater core on a ‘99 Dakota Sport replaced, and I now have heat all the time without it being turned on. I was told that I was feeling heat from the engine because there is no insulation on the firewall. I didn’t have this problem before the new core was installed. What, if anything, did they forget to do?-- Greg

TOM: Boy, you’re an understanding guy, Greg. They give you a song and dance like that, and you say, "Okey dokey," and walk away. We could use some customers like you!

RAY: That’s not heat from the engine bleeding through, Greg. That’s heat from the heater. And it’s likely the fault of the guys who changed the heater core.

TOM: But before we conclude that they’re absolutely to blame (we’ll get to that soon enough), let’s look at one other possibility. The heater controls in this truck are operated by engine vacuum. There’s a check valve under the hood that helps the system maintain vacuum during hard acceleration.

RAY: Right. So if that check valve were broken, your blend doors (the flaps behind the dashboard that regulate how much heat comes into the cabin) can pop open during hard acceleration.

TOM: So if you’re getting a surge of heat only when you’re accelerating hard or climbing a hill, then this five-dollar check valve could be the problem.

RAY: But if you’re getting heat all the time -- which is what you say in your letter -- then these guys screwed something up. Maybe they jammed a blend door so it can’t close all the way. Or maybe they forgot to reattach a vacuum hose.

TOM: The reason they’re trying to get rid of you is because rescuing the Chilean miners was easier than getting to the heater core in this vehicle. They don’t want to do it again. For free. So they’re hoping you’ll just go away, or start driving around in your bathing suit.

artCentral

ART NOTES from Hyde House

by Sally Armstrong, Director of artCentral

I await the arrival of works to be displayed in our exhibition opening February 17th,

"MANY VOICES: ONE JOURNEY". This group exhibition of original, recent artworks showcasing some 44 members of the Joplin Regional Artist Coalition opens Friday, February 17th here at Hyde House and the invitations will be going out this week to our membership, and can also be found around the area. I had hoped to begin telling you about these artists individually, but as I do not yet know what work we will be seeing, I will respond today to a very interesting article that appeared over the weekend in the PRESS, written by Rebecca Haines entitled, EMBRACING LOCAL ART. In her article, the writer explored the question of whether art and artists in Carthage are known or hidden, and she interviewed three; Helen Ryan, a potter, Debby Jeffries and Ross Gipson. I am not sure how these became her sources, but as artCentral was complimented by Ms Jeffries as making local exhibitions and workshops visible to the public, I thank her. artCentral has existed for 26 years, and yet some say they don’t know about us--- I have to think they aren’t looking very hard. My surprise was the comments made by Ross Gipson, who I do know personally and who is an intelligent person. If he is quoted correctly, he noted that Carthage only has a handful of artists that cater to what the community desires, that being local subject matter, sometimes historic. His dispute is that the community has held "only these artists up" as creating, what I have to assume he means, saleable or popular local art, not allowing others a "voice". Now, as an artist, I am the first to remind everyone that all art is subjective, artists usually create what they feel personally passionate about, and sometimes that feeling finds an "audience", which translates into enthusiasm and sales for that artist.

Only artCentral, as a not for profit, exists for the purpose of our 90+ member artists to show a variety of art work that many times crosses the line of what is most popular locally. I can say with certainty that our schedule this year includes a wide variety; one example is abstract contemporary painter Dale Augustson of Springfield, who shows here in March. I would invite Ross to visit, as our show opening the 17th will represent a great variety of styles and subject matters from JRAC’s participating members who all reside in the area.