Heard on the Street

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A LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN|ret||ret||tab|

In a recent court appearance before Greene County Family Court Commissioner Winston Davis, a courtroom observer viewed a note penned on yellow legal paper affixed to the corner of one of the counsel tables. The note said, "Leg on Table Broken." Commis-sioner Davis said the table had been broken the previous week and a requisition for repair had been sent through the proper channels. He lamented the bureaucracy that would make it weeks before the table would be repaired. Perhaps someone could stack law books under the unsteady table to prevent injury to some unsuspecting lawyer or clerk. There should be plenty around.|ret||ret||tab|

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FARM SAFETY TIPS|ret||ret||tab|

Last week being the 58th observance of National Farm Safety and Health Week, it is important to remind all farmers and ranchers that each year about 100 children and youth die in farm work accidents. Some children are injured while working on the farm, while others have wandered into danger. Data from the National Safety Council shows that in 1999, 770 people were reported to have been killed in farm accidents and 150,000 more were disabled. Bob Schultheis, an agricultural engineer specialist in Marshfield, himself injured as a child of 6, offered these tips:|ret||ret||tab|

Inspect your farm regularly for hazards that could hurt children who wander onto your property.|ret||ret||tab|

Children who work on farms should be assigned only age-appropriate work, and continually trained and supervised.|ret||ret||tab|

Equip all farm tractors with approved rollover protective structures and seat belts, and never carry children on tractors or machinery.|ret||ret||tab|

Design animal pens, holding facilities and other farm buildings with easy egress to avoid aggressive animals, and teach children to be familiar with animal behavior characteristics. For more information and safety guides go to the University of Missouri's Outreach and Extension Center's Web site, www.muextension.missouri. edu/xplor.|ret||ret||tab|

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CALIFORNIANS RESPOND|ret||ret||tab|

Words recently associated with California include "rolling black-outs," "bankruptcy" and "energy woes." But adversity brings out the best in people, as the recent horror show in New York and Washington, D.C., attests. Californians have been taking steps to reduce their energy consumption and, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, that state's average monthly residential electricity consumption is 37 percent of the national average. "Homes on the (California) market today use 73 percent less energy for heating and cooling than similar homes built 20 years ago," according to Sidney Dunmore, president of the California Building Industry Association. His remarks were contained in the Aug. 13 issue of Nation's Building News, the publication of the National Associa-tion of Home Builders. "In fact, the new California home of 2001 is the most energy-efficient home in the nation as much as 30 percent more efficient ... than homes built anywhere else in the country," said Dunmore, a Sacramento area builder. |ret||ret||tab|

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HBBO GOES|ret||ret||tab|

Citing a lack of members willing to commit to service as officers or executive committee members, the current committee of the Home-Based Businesses of the Ozarks voted to dissolve Sept. 11. The networking group was organized in 1995 to help provide people operating businesses out of their homes with professional growth through mutual support, networking opportunities and continuing education, according to SBJ Design Editor Bruce Helm, the public relations chairperson for the organization. The remaining funds in the HBBO account will go to the American Red Cross. |ret||ret||tab|

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SLICE OF NICE |ret||ret||tab|

More than 4 million Amer-icans already have Alzheimer's disease a disease with no cure that robs its sufferers of their memories, then their lives. It's predicted that in 50 years there will be 14 million Amer-icans who suffer from the disabling affliction. To raise mon-ey to help find a cure and to honor those who've already been lost to Alzheimer's, more than 1,000 Missourians will take part Sept. 29 in the 2001 Memory Walk for the southwest Missouri chapter of the Al-zheimer's Association. Regi-stration will be 9-10:30 a.m. for the walk, which will be held at Phelps Grove Park. The grand sponsor of the walk is St. John's Health System. Last year, the local chapter raised more than $66,000 in the one-mile and three-mile walks. The goal this year is $75,000. Carol Jones is the honorary chairman for the event. The Baldknobbers will perform before and after the walk. For more information contact the Alzheimer's Asso-ciation. [[In-content Ad]]