Madison County

New group forms

Waistlines is a support group to help people who want to lose weight or maintain their current weight. They will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Madison County Health Department, 806 West College.

Everyone will weigh in and set a goal for weight loss or weight maintenance. A short program will be presented by the health department staff.

Programs may include a healthy diet, Body Mass Index, calorie counting, carb counting, normal weight vs. health weight, and tips to improve weight loss.

Other topics may include special diets, cholesterol, sugar, or salt. The first meeting will be Thursday, January 26.

For more information call 783-2747 and ask for either Sarah or Beth.

City hears from Cap America CEO

Cap America Chief Executive Officer Phillip Page spoke to the Fredericktown Board of Aldermen’s at a recent work session.

Page expressed his concern about the upcoming electric utility increase of 33 percent. He complained that the city has raised rates and the service has not gotten any better.

Page concluded by saying that with the 33 percent rate increase his company would spend $37,575 more in electric expenses than they did last year and commented that was not good for business.

Iron County

Alderman dies

Long-time Pilot Knob Alderman Bill Siebert died Jan. 6 at the age of 72.

He had been an alderman for the city for about 30 years. He was a former member of the Pilot Knob Fire Department and a charter member of the Arcadia Valley Elks.

Funeral services were held Jan. 9.

Funds for emergency food and shelter

Iron County has been selected to receive $8,063 in funds to supplement the emergency food and shelter programs in the area.

A local board consisting of representatives of local governments, and charity organizations, will decide how the money will be distributed among local food and shelter programs.

Ste. Genevieve

County grows in revenues, expenses

As the County Commission began their budgetary process they have found that both income and expenses have risen over the past 10 years. However, they also note that the costs have accelerated faster than the revenues.

The county’s tax rate has increased, however, despite the increase in assessed value and the higher tax rate, the growth in actual tax revenue has been at a lower level.

Ambulance District will not put tax on ballot

The Board of Directors of the Ste. Genevieve County Ambulance District has decided to not put a tax proposal on the April ballot.

In August the district tried to persuade voters to increase the tax to improve operations and allow the creation of two ambulance substations in the county. That issue was defeated.

One of the main reasons the district had been seeking a tax increase is the rising number of calls being handled by the service, especially in outlying areas of the county. Ambulance crews responded to 1,900 calls in 2005, up from 1,300 in 2004. About one-third of the dispatches were to the north part of the county. The most recent tax proposal would have placed one of two new substations in that area.

Washington County

Severe storm spotters class

Doppler radar cannot detect every severe storm. Iit takes a web of human eyes to augment the National Weather Service’s warning process for severe weather.

If you would like to be part of this critical community service, there will be a free class January 24 in the Washington County Library basement. The free training begins at 7 p.m.

The class is taught by the National Weather Service, which issues severe weather warnings. You will learn about many aspects of severe weather, including the formation of thunderstorms, tornado development and severe weather safety.

Emergency personnel can get continuing education credit for the class. It should be post certified by January 2006.

You do not have to volunteer to be a storm spotter to attend the class. You can go just to learn more about severe weather.

Emergency food, shelter money received

Washington County has received $18,419 to supplement emergency food and shelters in the county.

The money was appropriated by Congress for high-need areas and distributed by a board chaired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

A Washington County board will determine how to distribute the funds in the county.