Heard on the Street

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A GIFT OF TIME|ret||ret||tab|

Manoli's Jewelers will Dec. 15 present 76 Calypso watches to 76 children residing at Boys and Girls Town of Missouri, according to a release from Manoli's. The children will attend the holiday show at the Lawrence Welk Theatre in Branson, compliments of the Welk Show, and the watches will be presented at the end of the show by Manoli's and the Welk cast. Boys & Girls Town experienced a crisis when it discovered that the funding source for its Christmas gifts for the last 19 years the Share Your Christmas program at Fort Leonard Wood had no money to give because of a budget allocation error. Trudy Pischer of Boys & Girls Town said many Springfield businesses, like Manoli's, have stepped in to fill the gap. Baird, Kurtz & Dobson, for example, has "adopted" all the children on the Springfield campus and will be shopping for gifts on the children's wish lists. Pischer said that items the kids don't think put on their lists such as personal care items, gloves, hats, etc. are still needed. For more information, call 869-0270.|ret||ret||tab|

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LITTLE HOUSE|ret||ret||tab|

"A Little House Christmas," the second presentation in Springfield Little Theatre's family/education series, will be performed one weekend only, Dec. 14-17 at Landers Theatre, 311 E. Walnut. Show times will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with matinee performances at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Laura Ingalls Wilder's familiar characters discover that even a blizzard cannot dampen the spirit of Christmas. Tickets are now available at $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Call 869-1334 for more information.|ret||ret||tab|

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GREEN THUMBS|ret||ret||tab|

Recent economic prosperity has benefited Missouri's lawn and garden services industry, but the grass is not always greener for business owners, according to "Lawn and Garden Services," a report published by the Missouri Small Business Development Centers' Small Business Research and Information Center. Despite recent growth, the continuing labor shortage and increases in environmental regulations remain the industry's biggest challenges. Uncertainty regarding how the future economy will affect customer demand for lawn and garden services also hampers business planning efforts. "Americans spent $17.4 billion on lawn, landscape and tree care professional services in 1999," said Catherine Frank, editor of the report, in a release. "As our lives become busier and the need to increase property value grows, this important service industry will expand in proportion," she added.|ret||ret||tab|

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NAP TIME|ret||ret||tab|

The historic Gillioz Theater is participating in the Neighborhood Assistance Program, a Missouri state tax credit program for businesses, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, farms and owners of rental properties, according to the Marquee, the Gillioz newsletter. Donations in cash or in kind can be applied to offset state income taxes. The credit is 50 percent, so a donation of $50,000 would result in a $25,000 tax credit. That same donation also is deductible under federal income tax. The Gillioz has $240,000 in NAP credit available. If it is not used, the state will take back the credits to be used elsewhere. For more information, call the Gillioz at 832-1700.|ret||ret||tab|

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TOP 5 TOP 10|ret||ret||tab|

Coldwell Banker Vanguard, Realtors, was ranked in the Top 5 in the state of Missouri and in the Top 10 in the Midwest Region in third-quarter buyer-controlled sales, closed revenue units, gross commission income and listings sold for Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation among offices with 51 or more sales associates. |ret||ret||tab|

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