On the Street

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STATIC AND GAS|ret||ret||tab|

The Missouri Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association and the Missouri Department of Agriculture Division of Weights & Measures are encouraging motorists to be cautious when filling up, as fires caused by static at the pumps have slightly increased in recent years. Cold, dry winter air, when combined with the fabric friction that comes with getting in and out of the vehicle, creates the potential for static electricity that can ignite the gasoline vapors released during fueling, according to Kerry Brettschneider, of the Department of Agriculture.|ret||ret||tab|

To be safer, drivers should:|ret||ret||tab|

close the door behind them when getting out at the pump;|ret||ret||tab|

touch the metal portion of the door to ground themselves prior to pumping; |ret||ret||tab|

begin fueling and latch the nozzle in the open position;|ret||ret||tab|

not get back into the car, as this will create friction; and|ret||ret||tab|

observe the pump to monitor fueling.|ret||ret||tab|

If a static fire occurs, don't try to remove the nozzle from the fuel tank. Instead, evacuate everyone from the car quickly and summon help.|ret||ret||tab|

PARKS NEWS|ret||ret||tab|

Jodie Adams, superintendent of recreation for the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department, was elected president of the Missouri Park and Recreation Association for the 2003 term. The association develops programs and works in cooperation with national and state legislators to provide recommendations to municipalities for park and recreation issues, including fundraising, programming and green space.|ret||ret||tab|

CHILD ALERT|ret||ret||tab|

With a $2,000 grant from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Branson Police Department will be able to obtain computer equipment to enhance its child alert system, also called the Amber program. The hardware, software package, color printer and photo scanner will allow the department to create color posters of missing children for distribution to other law enforcement agencies, the media and the community.|ret||ret||tab|

It also allows for e-mail and fax alerts throughout the country. Branson Police Chief Steve Mefford said the new system will supplement, but not replace, the existing Abduction Central Alert Program, which uses an automatic, immediate computer response system, but does not enable the creation of the posters for distribution.|ret||ret||tab|

SCHOOL BOARDS|ret||ret||tab|

On Dec. 24, the Missouri School Boards' Association began accepting candidate filings for the April 8 school board elections. The last day for filing will be Jan. 21. Filing information is available from local school district offices. Copies of the Missouri School Boards' Association's "Board Candidate Guide" also may be downloaded at www.msbanet.org.|ret||ret||tab|

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