Southwest Missouri News

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Branson|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|Free flu shots given at hospital|bold_on||bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

Skaggs Community Health Center conducted two flu shot clinics Nov. 4 in Branson and Nov. 11 in Branson West, giving free vaccinations to 3,000 area residents. |ret||ret||tab|

Rebecca Tough, RN, Skaggs' health and wellness coordinator, estimated the cost of the flu vaccine provided by Skaggs was about $12,000, not including time given by Skaggs employees. |ret||ret||tab|

At the Nov. 4 clinic, held in the Skaggs parking garage, 1,700 shots were given in three hours. At the Nov. 11 clinic, at the parking lot of Branson West Medical Care, 800 shots were given in two hours. In addition, 500 flu shots were given at no charge to Skaggs employees and volunteers.|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|City |bold_on|tax revenues rise in 2000|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

The city of Branson's 2000 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, showed revenues from the city's sales and tourism taxes up as compared to 1999. |ret||ret||tab|

The 1.5 percent sales tax generated $11.7 million in 2000, a 4.8 percent increase from the previous year's total of $11.1 million. |ret||ret||tab|

Income from the 1 percent portion of the sales tax, about $7.8 million, goes into the city's general fund to support the city's operating departments, while the remaining 0.5 percent, about $3.8 million, is specifically earmarked for financing road projects.|ret||ret||tab|

The city collected $10 million in tourism tax revenue, up about 2 percent from the previous year's revenue of $9.8 million. |ret||ret||tab|

The tourism tax is 4 percent on lodging, theaters and other ticketed attractions, and 0.5 percent on restaurants. |ret||ret||tab|

Three-fourths of the tourism tax finances infrastructure improvements like sewer and water systems while the remaining 25 percent is used for marketing the Branson area.|ret||ret||tab|

Based on sales taxes, the three busiest months in Branson are July, November and October.|ret||ret||tab|

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Joplin|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|LaBarge profits bounce back|bold_on||ret||ret||tab|

LaBarge Inc. reported a profit in its first quarter of fiscal 2001, the result of a 72 percent increase in sales. |ret||ret||tab|

During the first quarter, which ended Oct. 1, the company's net sales rose to $24.3 million, compared with $14.1 million for the comparable period one year ago. |ret||ret||tab|

Net earnings for the first quarter were $634,000, or 4 cents per share, compared with a loss of nearly $1.4 million, or 9 cents per share, reported last year. |ret||ret||tab|

"The excellent comparison between this year's and last year's first fiscal quarters demonstrate the strong recovery and significant progress LaBarge has made in the last 12 months," Craig LaBarge, chief executive officer and president, said in a news release. "Revenues, earnings, gross margins and backlog were all up substantially compared with last year's first quarter."|ret||ret||tab|

The company said the improvement was primarily the result of higher volume, a more favorable product mix and greater "value-added production."|ret||ret||tab|

"Our improved results are attributable to an excellent performance in our manufacturing services business, which represented 99 percent of revenues for the first quarter of fiscal 2001," LaBarge said. |ret||ret||tab|

"The significant revenue growth came from increased sales to commercial customers, which almost doubled in the first quarter of fiscal 2001 from the same period the previous year," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

LaBarge employs between 200 and 250 people at its Joplin plant. |ret||ret||tab|

It is part of the company's manufacturing services group, and makes a variety of high-tech products for the aerospace, defense, medical, telecommunications and other industries. [[In-content Ad]]