Heard on the Street

REMEMBERING THE PAST

Readers who are 50-plus can probably recall their family's first 13-inch television set. For the younger generation reading this Heard item, it was the screen that was 13 inches, not the TV. The entire set was a substantial piece of wooden furniture. To see a TV from late 30s, just head to the third floor of old City Hall which houses the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County. Granville Pearson Ward, a radio and TV broadcast pioneer, bought the RCA TT5 set in 1939, one of only seven still around, according to the museum's bulletin. Springfield had no broadcasting station back then, so Ward's purchase was a great leap of faith. But he probably could pick up some signals from the experimental station in Kansas City, W9XAL. Along with the early set, you can view other historical goodies such as an 1885 wedding dress, a 1920 "violet ray" electromagnetic health device and Native American artifacts from the Sac and White rivers' regions of the Ozarks, the curator's current favorites. Don't miss "From Lens to Legacy: The Photo-graphs of Betty Love," on display until March 29.

BRANSON GROWTH

Our good friend and former KY3 newsman Jerry Adams, now the public information director for the City of Branson tells us that as of the end of 2001, his city had a total of 61,714 seats. They are spread, of course, within the city's 49 theaters. Branson has 17,699 rooms in 209 lodging facilities, and 33,930 places to sit and chow down in its 389 eating establishments.

BE KIND TO WORKERS

A nonprofit workplace ministry continues its "crusade against crabbiness" in the workplace with its third annual Joy at Work Week, March 24-31. Coinciding not coincidentally with the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, the all-volunteer group of Christian laypeople is determined to reduce workplace stress, crankiness and violence by encouraging kindly attitudes and behavior at work. "... we're being joyists,'" said Drew Crandall, of the Northeast Christians at Work group from Vernon, Conn. For more information on how to help your workplace be more joyful visit the group's Web site at www.JoyAtWorkWeek.com.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Mary Kay Ash was right. The late cosmetic empire builder always insisted that her consultants be well-groomed and wear business jackets and skirts. They commanded attention and were successful. And now with the dot-com bust, the crumpled chinos and golf shirt casual look at the office is out out, that is, if you want to show you mean business. According to the Baton Rouge "Business Report," we must "dress up in a down market" to be competitive.

CRIME DIDN'T PAY IN 2001

According to Todd P. Graves, U.S. attorney for the Western Dis-trict of Missouri, his office's Financial Litigation Unit collected more than $6 million in criminal fines, civil judgments, defaulted loans, bankruptcies, foreclosures and other debts to the federal government during fiscal year 2001. That figure is 32 percent less than the amount collected during fiscal year 2000, when the unit brought in more than $9 million. However, the 2000 total included more than $5.9 million in recoveries from a single fraud case that in-volved more than 2,000 individual victims. "When you factor out the $5.9 million, which was an exceptionally large recovery from a single case, the numbers for 2001 actually show that we nearly doubled our activity over 2000," Graves said. In 2001, civil collections accounted for $4.8 million of the total and criminal collections accounted for $1.3 million.

SLICE OF NICE

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks will hold its 17th annual Bowl for Kids' Sake on March 23 at Battlefield Lanes. Teams of five will bowl, eat pizza donated by Papa John's, win door prizes and raise money. Bowlers who raise $200 or more in donations qualify for a shot at the 7-10 split. Picking up the split results in an award of $20,000. Last year's Bowl For Kids' Sake raised $50,000. Wal-Mart has stepped up as underwriter of this year's event, and Commerce Bank is event sponsor. To get involved, contact Kim Sutherland at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks.

TWICE OF NICE

The 2002 MS Walk steps into Springfield April 6. Walkers and volunteers are still needed for the event, which raises money for research and client programs related to Multiple Sclerosis. Contact the Ozark branch of the National Multiple Sclerosis So-ciety for more information.