Friday April 11, 1997 Volume V, Number 209

1897

INTERESTING MELANGE.

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

HOTEL OPERA SOLD.

Mr. J. F. Nickell of Lamar the Purchaser - Consideration $9,000.

Mr. J. F. Nickell, a prominent grocery-man of Lamar, today purchased the property on East Fourth street known as the Hotel Opera of J. A. Mitchell. The consideration was $9,000.

Mr. Nickell was down today accompanied by his wife and closed the deal. He will fit out and refurnish the hotel entirely new and will then probably lease it. A Mr. Calland, of Higginsville, Mo., was here this afternoon and may take a lease on the building.

The hotel is a three-story brick building on East Fourth street and since the first of January has been closed. Mr. Nickell expects to have the hotel completely refurnished and ready for guests by May 1 at the latest.

Mohr May Protest Election.

Irregularities in the Third Ward ballots could force another election.

Irregularities in the Third Ward election for City Council member may have opened the way for a protest of the election by write-in candidate Gary Mohr.

Mohr, who lost to phantom candidate Steve Ogle, could ask the Jasper County Circuit Court to call for a new election.

Gary Mohr

Ogle, who was transferred to Nashville after the ballots were printed, has yet to officially resign. Ogle must resign before a replacement can be appointed by the Mayor and Council. Mohr, who resigned from the position last fall amid controversy, has asked for the job.

Mohr told the Mornin’ Mail yesterday that he would hate to see the County have to go to the expense of a new election, but would file a protest if he is not appointed to the position. He states that the number of ballots cast for him shows that he has strong support in the Third Ward. Mohr lost the election by seven votes.

County Clerk Margie Bull noticed that three of the ballot machines had Mohr’s name hand printed on the ballot card when they were returned from the polls. At least one voter, says Bull, has claimed to have thought they were voting for Mohr when they punched their ballot. The only pin hole on the machine would have cast the vote for Ogle.

copy of returned ballot card

The Mayor has indicated that Mohr would not be appointed.

Mohr resigned after the Mayor presented him with a letter, eventually signed by all sitting Council members, chastising actions Mohr took in purchasing property that had been condemned after voting to postpone a demolition order.

Mohr claimed that the Mayor asked for some sort of monetary compensation for the Council members to not have the letter read into Council minutes.

The Mayor denied any such action and the accusation infuriated some Council members. A majority of the Council would have to approve of Mohr’s appointment if the Mayor would present him as a candidate for the position.

Real Estate Sense

by Carolyn L. Wyatt, GRI

We are getting closer to April 15th, that dreaded (by some) tax day. Right now our President and Congress have bills that concern property owners and hopefully will give us some tax relief.

One bill should benefit us by giving ALL sellers a $500,000 exclusion on the sale of each primary residence that the owner has lived in for two of the last five years. The current capital gains exclusion is a one time, you must be over 55 years of age and $125,000 only, may be protected.

This new proposal would permit sellers to either purchase a more expensive property or a lesser priced one without penalty.

For those of you that have rental property another tax relief is proposed in a 50% exclusion for capital gains. The current capital gains tax rate is 28% to 19.8%

I really like these proposals. They would assist sellers to become buyers again and for those people receiving money back after tax day, the incentive to make a worthwhile investment in their own home or investment property.

Natural Nutrition

by Mari An Willis

A few pieces of nutritional trivia:

 Fast foods are notable for their lack of Vitamin A. If this is your frequent food choice during the rushed day, be sure to consume lots of vegetables and possible supplementation with antioxidants.

 A 12 ounce cola beverage may contain as much as 50 milligrams of caffeine. In the body of a 60 pound child, two or more such cola beverages are equivalent to the caffeine in 8 cups of coffee for a 175 pound adult.

 Even when a person is asleep and totally relaxed the cells of many organs are hard at work expending energy. Cells maintain all life processes without any conscious effort; however, it represents about two-thirds to three-fourths of all the total energy a person spends a day. The remainder is utilized by the muscles.

 In many cases, lactose-intolerant people can tolerate fermented milk products such as yogurt, hard cheeses, cottage cheese and acidophilus milk. The bacteria in these products digest lactose for their own use leaving a product lactose intolerants may consume.

*Source: Understanding Nutrition, 6th Edition. Whitney Rolfes.

*This article is meant for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.

Just Jake Talkin'

My uncle thinks that there should be some way ta install a large, spring powered flywheel in a car. He figures it would work somethin’ like a clock, ya wind it up and it provides a constant, clean, inexpensive power. I suppose if it was positioned right, it would also act as a gyroscope to keep the vehicle from turnin’ over easily.

There would no doubt be some technical difficulties to be overcome, but the idea has grabbed my thoughts from time to time.

The basic premise of course is to take advantage of momentum. That mysterious source of energy that wants to continue motion once it is initiated.

‘Course momentum is not limited to the strict physical sciences, it seems to be a critical part of sports events, wars, and the political arena. Some might argue that momentum in these cases should actually be called luck, but the force is real non the less.

I’ve always worried that my uncle’s clockmobile would stop short of the top of a hill and reverse momentum would win.

This is some fact, but mostly, Just Jake Talkin’.

Intro to the Internet.

Sponsored by Computer Minded/On The Net

did ya know?

Did Ya Know... Detective Laverne Williams from the Carthage Police Department will be the speaker on "Violence in the Lives of Children" at 7 p.m. on April 21 at the University Extension Center. For more information, please contact the University Extension Center at 358-2158.

Did Ya Know... There will be a special meeting of the Carthage Board of Education Friday, April 11, at noon at the Senior High Conference Room, 714 South Main.

today's laugh

First golfer: "Hey, I don't like the way you've been cheating out here." Second golfer: "If you know a better way, I'm certainly open to it!"

They rescued Shamus when he was on the brink of drowning and gave him the kiss of life and pumped him as dry as they could. When he was somewhat recovered they brought him a noble glass of smooth, rich Irish whiskey.

He looked at the drink and then said reverently, "Turn me over again lads and get more water out first."

You're finally over 30 when you realize that 40 isn't really all that old.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin State Representative, District 26

The big story around the Capitol this week had more to do with cops and robbers. I'm talking about the capture of Alis Ben Johns over in Benton county. The State did have an interest in this since most of the searchers were either Highway Patrol or National Guard members. It ended up being two members of the Missouri Water Patrol that finally captured him, and even then not without a gunfight.

Johns was shot and injured and taken to Sedalia for surgery. There is something not quite right about this. Here is a man who is going to be charged with several murders and robberies, cost the State thousands of dollars in man hours, fuel and equipment, terrorized the law abiding citizens of Missouri, and we send him to the hospital so he can receive the best medical care available.

We have all kinds of good, productive, law abiding citizens that scrimp and save and might not go to the doctor when they really need to just to save a few bucks, and yet this boil on the skin of society gets the greatest and latest in medical care.

It kinds of makes you wish the Water Patrol officers used bigger guns or aimed a little higher (Johns was shot in the abdomen).

To make matters worse, there are already rumors, and I want to emphasize the word rumors, that a move is underway to sue Gov. Carnahan for calling out the National Guard. If you are a regular reader of this column, you know I am usually one of the first to criticize the governor, so I feel I should be among the first to come to his defense when he is right. Gov. Carnahan was absolutely right in calling out the Guard.

From what I've heard this group feels the extra money spent on the search could have been better used on social entitlements. Give me a break! I wouldn't be surprised if Johns wasn't the product of forty years of failed entitlement programs. In fact, his mother actually made the comment this week that the whole incident was actually the government's fault because Johns was upset about his federal disability check being cut off.

Anyone that can kill innocent people, burglarize homes, and live in the woods while avoiding the police for a month is obviously in good enough shape to work and shouldn't be drawing our tax dollars in the form of disability.

Anyway, thanks to all the folks that participated in the search. We owe them our appreciation.