Blogs

Welcome to our new blog and news submission site online, "MyChilliMo.com."

MyChilliMo.com provides an interactive opportunity for readers to blog and discuss thoughts about all that is good in our community. Whether it's a story from the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, discussions from the community, or something as simple as finding out what's going on this weekend, MyChilliMo.com is the place to talk about it.

Users will sign up with a username and password. Once you're registered, you're ready to blog.

We just have a few rules we'd like you to follow, much like on story comments:

1. Keep it clean – We have a variety of readers and users online, and we want them all to feel comfortable using the site. Included in this is no cursing. Our readers have great vocabularies, you can think of better words to use.

2. No personal attacks – Lively discussion is great. We don't want you making fun or saying hurtful things about other users or citizens in the news. The line here is sometimes hard to see, so be careful not to get too close.

Our moderator will be keeping an eye on all the posts at MyChilliMo.com so any posts that violate the rules above will be removed. We think you can all get involved without breaking those rules  though, it's not too much to ask.

We'll also be here to help with any questions you have.

In addition to just blogging, we encourage all visitors to submit their news items, photos, events and press releases directly to us using our short Submission Form.

All submissions will be reviewed and if of interest to the community, will be published in our monthly MyChilliMo publication.

For more information on the publication and contact information, please see our 'About Us' page.

Glumetza, a popular medication used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes, recently has been the subject of a recall. Containers used to package the drug were shipped on foreign wood pallets that were treated with 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (a.k.a. TBA, a chemical that is illegal in the U.S.), which contaminated the medicine supplies.

In addition, Johnson & Johnson recently expanded its massive recall of popular pain relievers because of further implications that the TBA found on wood pallets contaminated additional medicine shipments. In response to the massive recall, J & J has stated that it has stopped using wood pallets in all shipments.The Johnson & Johnson recall is the largest in history.

With the Glumetza recall adding to the list of products being affected by the pallet issues, it is likely that other pharmaceutical companies will be following in Johnson & Johnson's footsteps and discontinuing use of the pallets.

What do you think of all of this? Are you concerned? Do you think the companies involved are reacting appropriately, or do you think more should be done?

How do you feel about foreign companies using chemcials that are illegal in the U.S.?

Just wanted to link to a recent story CBS aired called "Hidden Dangerous Link in Food Chain." (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/26/earlyshow/contributors/susanko...) If you've followed some of my previous posts, you know I'm a little crazy about the wood pallet issue. I'm supporting HB 2382, which is currently tied up in the Missouri House right now. After the Tylenol recall in January linked product contamination to a chemical used to treat the shipping pallets, and now the confirmation by the National Consumers League that strains of bacteria (the really nasty ones: listeria and e-coli) were found on the pallets that are transporting our food, I felt the need to step up the efforts to raise awareness about the issue.

If you're concerned, and if you want to help ensure that proper methods are taken by the shipping industry to make these pallets safer for food transport, tell your Rep. Write a letter, send an email....If you don't know who your Representative is, visit: http://www.house.mo.gov/member.aspx

We are in high gear with our local weight loss challenges. Never to late to join our 12 Week Programs.

Currently we have a Tuesday evening Class at 6:30 and now we have added a New Daytime Mothers and others Challenge that will be starting Thursday June 3rd at 10:00 am.

Registration has started, Limited spots availabe, so call now and challenge yourself to become the Biggest Loser.

Call 660-707-0081 for more details

You can also visit us on Facebook- lifestylefn
Our website and Menu are available to view at http://www.lifestylefn.com

Following January’s Johnson & Johnson recall, a recent discovery at the Port of Oakland of several long-horned beetle larvae (an insect found in South America that would bring devastation to U.S. agriculture) have caused wood pallets to be, once again, at the center of debate across the country. In Missouri, legislators are trying to pass House Bill #2382, which is designed to help protect Missouri citizens from tainted food and invasive species found on these pallets.

So how can a simple plat of wood cause so much commotion? Because these simple shipping pieces are currently unregulated…no one really knows which pallets are domestic and which ones have international origins. Companies that produce wood pallets in the U.S. must follow guidelines on how the wood is treated, including using chemicals that are deemed safe. However, companies abroad don’t need to abide by these rules.

When Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of its popular products Tylenol and Motrin, the pallets that contained the harmful chemical TBA that contaminated the drugs were not domestic in origin. The pallets found at the Port of Oakland that harbored dangerous long-horned beetles also were not domestic.

Differentiating a wood pallet that is domestic from a wood pallet that originates from another country is nearly impossible…in fact, only U.S. Customs agents can really distinguish a difference. So how can we protect ourselves, our drugs and, most importantly, the food we eat from the perils of foreign pallets? Unfortunately, we have to tighten our own regulations.

House Bill #2382 will enact stricter guidelines on the use of wood pallets to ensure that no harmful chemicals or foreign pests infect shipments, and, most importantly, our agriculture.

Write your representative to express your concern about this issue. While we cannot stop foreign pallets from entering our shipping industry, we can make the pallets safer.

In January, McNeil Consumer Healthcare (the largest consumer company within the Johnson & Johnson family of companies) issued a recall of numerous OTC medications including Tylenol, Children's Tylenol and Children's Motrin. The recall has sparked outrage regarding how the contaminant (a chemical called 2,4,6-tribromoanisole or TBA for short) made its way into the popular drugs....it was discovered that the TBA originated from the wood pallets that shipped the drugs to stores.

Currently, wood pallets are still being used by many companies to ship drugs, food and other goods throughout the country. While some officials in Missouri are trying to propose legislation to enact stronger safety regulations in the shipping industry, the only way to guarantee that this issue becomes a priority to our elected officials is to voice your concerns.

How do you feel about this recall? What concerns does the recall raise for you? And would you vote for legislation that tightens regulations on the shipping industry?

BlueBird Media is working together with the State of Missouri to gather support for the development of a truly highspeed broadband network for rural and Northern Missouri. Our proposal is filed with the Department of Commerce and Agriculture, and is in Washington.

However, to secure this, we must prove that we have the support of the local electorate. We have posted our proposed fiber ring network on www.bluebirdmedia.com.

Additionally, we have posted an online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/mobroad/petition.html to gather grass-roots support for this project. This is what i need we need your help with.

Please log on to http://www.bluebirdmedia.com/mointernet.html to sign this petition.

The development of this truly highspeed broadband network is instrumental in the continued economic development ALL of Missouri, including rural and underserved areas.

-Beau Aero
BlueBird Media
660-864-9052

The elementary schools that have faithfully served our community for more than 50 years, are now
in need of replacement and maintenance. The school district has a unique opportunity to take
advantage of early childhood education dollars specifically designated to be used to build, furnish and equip a new building for pre-kindergarten. Additional dollars raised from the tax levy will
complete a K-second grade facility and generate money to renovate, repair and improve existing school buildings- Central, Dewey, Field, the Middle School and the Grand River Tech Center.

The new elementary building would be built north and east of the current Chillicothe High School on 60 acres owned by the School District with an entrance from 65 Highway. The new school would accommodate up to 120 pre-school students and up to 450 kindergarten through second-grade students.

As a member of the Missouri School Boards’ Association, you have the ability to realize certain benefits that non-members cannot enjoy. The investment you choose to make in your Association allows you to explore programming that can bring value in numerous areas:

Advocacy (State & Federal)
Education Law/Policy
School Resources
Training for Whole Boards & Individual Board Members

Your School Resources Department is pleased to provide you an update on a program that your district has chosen to participate in which has resulted in substantial savings.

The MSBA Natural Gas Consortium is an aggregate purchasing program that provides participating districts energy cost savings. As a participant, your district has realized $113,988.69 in energy savings through December, 2009! In fact, your savings were $47,321.13 during the calendar year 2009 alone. These savings are calculated against what you would have paid through your former utility.

We encourage you to share this information with your Board of Education, Administrators, Faculty/Staff and community. By choosing this savings alternative, you have enabled funds previously budgeted for energy costs to be freed up and used elsewhere within your district. We applaud you for being good stewards of your district funds.

If you have any questions about the MSBA Natural Gas Consortium or any of our other programs or services, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always willing to explore how your district can benefit further.

Jim Cherrington Gena Patton
cherrington@msbanet.org patton@msbanet.org

Missouri School Boards' Association
School Resources Department
2100 I-70 Drive Southwest
Columbia, Missouri USA 65203

Phone: 800.221.6722
Fax: 573.445.9981

Watching sunset is one of the many joys of living in the country. The changing colors of the skies in each season is awesome to watch.