Southwest Missouri News

|tab|

Branson|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Skaggs hires diabetes educator|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

Skaggs Community Health Center has hired Peggy Klotz, RN, CCM, as outpatient diabetes educator and coordinator of the hospital's diabetes education program. Among Klotz's duties are coordinating diabetes education classes, conducting one-on-one visits with outpatients, facilitating the diabetes support group, speaking to community groups, and hosting informational programs and diabetes health fairs in the community.|ret||ret||tab|

Klotz comes to Skaggs with 23 years of experience as a registered nurse, most recently providing case management for the diabetic disease management program for SSM Health Care in St. Louis.|ret||ret||tab|

Meanwhile, Valerie Newcome, a registered dietitian at Skaggs, has achieved certified diabetes educator status by completing the certification examination for diabetes educators. |ret||ret||tab|

Additionally, K. Broughton, MD, has been recertified as a specialist through the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Since 1992, Broughton has been a full-time employee in the emergency department at Skaggs.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|City adds automatic bank payments|bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

The city of Branson now offers free automatic bank drafting for water and sewer customers. According to Deanna Schlegel, city finance director, the voluntary use of automatic bank drafting eliminates missed utility payments and saves customers the time, effort and expense of writing and mailing checks. |ret||ret||tab|

Even though the water and sewer bill payment is automatically withdrawn from the bank accounts of customers who choose to use the new system, Schlegel says monthly utility statements will still be sent for the customers' review and record purposes.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Branson Arts Council Inc. moves|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

The Branson Arts Council Inc. has moved to a new facility at 542 N. Business Highway 65 in Branson, vacating its downtown Branson office on Commercial Street. According to Diedre McCormick, executive director of the arts council, the new location will offer better accessibility and visibility for the organization, and will eventually allow it to feature local artists in the new gallery space.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Stafford receives hall of fame nod|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

Branson Entertainer Jim Stafford has been recognized in his home state's hall of fame. Stafford has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of Polk County, Fla., along with U.S. Olympic swimmer and fellow Polk Countian Rowdy Gaines. Both are from Winter Haven, Fla.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Chamber names new vice president|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

Gary Noble has joined the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce as vice president of marketing and advertising. Noble has a 25-year background in all aspects of the entertainment industry, having worked in marketing and special events at Worlds of Fun and the Starlight Theater in Kansas City, and at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. |ret||ret||tab|

Most recently he was director of creative services at Sprenger McCullough in Kansas City, where he oversaw creative concepts for radio, television and print advertising campaigns.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Joplin|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Hook Up announces layoff plans|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

Hook Up Corp. has announced plans to lay off 40 of the 130 employees who work at the company's downtown Joplin headquarters.|ret||ret||tab|

The company said the layoffs stem from a 40 percent decline nationwide in the manufacture of large semi trucks.|ret||ret||tab|

The local layoffs are spread across all aspects of Hook Up's operations.|ret||ret||tab|

Hook Up specializes in the delivery of large trucks, including arranging and moving trucks from factories to dealers. Hook Up also operates other divisions including an Internet auction service for new and used trucks.|ret||ret||tab|

Freightliner, the nation's largest truck manufacturer, announced last summer that its sales were expected to fall 25 percent during 2000. Other large truck manufacturers also are reporting declines. |ret||ret||tab|

Industry insiders attribute the decline in truck sales to higher fuel prices, rising interest rates in 2000 and driver shortages.|ret||ret||tab|

In a related business announcement, Able Body Corp. announced Jan. 23 that it intends to lay off 30 people in its plants in Joplin and Pittsburg, Kan. A smaller plant in Portland, Ore., will not be affected.|ret||ret||tab|

Able Body makes fiberglass, fabricated metal and thermo-formed plastics that are used in truck and trailer hoods.|ret||ret||tab|

Officials with Able Body, one of Joplin's largest employers, said the heavy truck market makes up more than 70 percent of its business, and the company's business had fallen off by half within the past year.|ret||ret||tab|

"Every effort has been made to retain the current work force; however, due to the large reduction in sales, the company could no longer absorb the added cost," Able Body officials said in a news release. "The company believes it is at the bottom of (a) sales reduction cycle and does not anticipate any further erosion. Unfortunately, we have several months ahead at this lower level before we see an upturn, which necessitated the reductions in our work force."|ret||ret||tab|

Able Body officials said they have received several other "large volume" jobs that should lead to additional work beginning this fall, bringing the work force closer to its previous level.|ret||ret||tab|

In addition to truck and trailer hoods, Able Body produces parts for water slides, train seats and personal watercraft, as well as interior trim for buses, recreational vehicles and heavy trucks.|ret||ret||tab|

Prior to the layoffs, the company had reduced its work force through attrition from 460 employees last fall to 430.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Neosho|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Stage Stores closes Neosho shop|ret||ret||tab|

Stage Stores, based in Houston, Texas, will close 121 stores including one in Neosho as part of its ongoing bankruptcy restructuring.|ret||ret||tab|

Stage Stores operates stores that sell apparel, accessories, cosmetics and footwear.|ret||ret||tab|

Four stores in Missouri, including the Neosho store, are scheduled to close, as are seven stores each in Oklahoma and Kansas. Three stores in Arkansas will close.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|NYSE may give |bold_on|Sunbeam boot|ret||ret||tab|

Troubled Sunbeam Corporation now faces the possibility that the New York Stock Exchange could take the company off its list due to its failure to meet the exchange's requirements.|ret||ret||tab|

According to a news release issued by Sunbeam on Jan. 25, the NYSE told the firm that it was not in compliance with the requirements for minimum market capitalization, shareholder equity and the average per-share closing price.|ret||ret||tab|

Sunbeam, based in Boca Raton, Fla., produces appliances, household goods and camping gear. It operates a plant in Neosho with a work force of more than 1,000 people and is one of the area's largest employers.|ret||ret||tab|

Sunbeam has faced numerous problems in recent years. In November, the company said the Securities and Exchange Commission recommended enforcement action after a probe into Sunbeam's accounting practices.|ret||ret||tab|

In 2000, Sunbeam posted a second-quarter loss of $80.2 million, or 75 cents per share, compared with $46.9 million, or 47 cents per share in the same quarter the previous year.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Crowder begins solar home project|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

Crowder College is starting a new solar project that involves a competition to build, design and evaluate a totally energy self-sufficient home.|ret||ret||tab|

The building will use solar energy to provide 100 percent of its electricity, hot water, heating and cooling, and it will generate extra solar power to operate an electric car. |ret||ret||tab|

When completed, the home will be transported to Washington, D.C., in the fall of 2002 to compete with those from other colleges and universities.|ret||ret||tab|

Crowder is inviting the participation of students interested in marketing and management, communications, graphic design, computer science, drafting, engineering, architecture, construction and environmental issues. |ret||ret||tab|

The college also hopes to attract business partners to join the project.|ret||ret||tab|

Crowder will be offering a one-hour class for the project. Additional information on the competition can be found at |bold_on|www.solardecathlon.org.|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Webb City|ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|Consultant to assess water system|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

Allgeier, Martin and Associates Inc., Joplin, has been awarded a contract to assess Webb City's water system. The firm submitted a bid of $41,000 to Webb City's City Council. |ret||ret||tab|

The contract calls for the firm to evaluate the city's water source and well system from a capacity-and-demand standpoint. The city continues to see a decline in well production as area cities pump from the same aquifer. |ret||ret||tab|

Last summer city officials issued a series of water conservation orders due to problems with and repairs to the main water tower.|ret||ret||tab|

[[In-content Ad]]