SEMOTIMESWWW.SEMOTIMES.COM

The Most Important News of your Week 12.02.11 FREE

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Local Expert on: Embalming, Dora

Burns

Stage Company to perform Christmas

classicWill PB decide on

open access?

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Current Events

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Current Events

The Week in Review

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from our friends at: About US

Established in 2008, the SEMO Times reports the most important news of your week. In addition to our online archives, plus our popular iPhone and Droid apps, the free publication is available in print at over 60 distribution locations throughout Butler County.

With our primary coverage area center-ing in Poplar Bluff, our mission is to be the mouthpiece for our community. Our opinion section regularly features dozens of contributing columnists—voluntary writers that have included leaders of the business community and regional legisla-tors.

Made in Poplar Bluff, we are Butler County’s only 100 percent locally owned alternative newsweekly. We cover human interest stories, arts, entertainment, educa-tion and business, but our primary focus is bigger picture news. We report ‘The Why’ rather than ‘The What.’

Get with the Times!

1. Did you sign the open ac-cess for Poplar Bluff petition?

2. Did you go deer hunting?

1. YES!

‎2. No. 2. No. 2. No

JessicaWest

SheriLeeds

MelissaGeorge-Tinnell

1. Yes.1. No, because I don’t live in city limits.

Semotimes

12.02.11Volume 3 Issue 51

2725 N. Westwood BlvdSuite 17

Poplar Bluff, MO573-785-2200

Staff

PublisherScott R. Faughn

scottfaughn@semotimes.com

Managing EditorTim Krakowiak

tim@semotimes.com

ReporterLiz Ellis

lizellis@semotimes.com

It was a good week for Rep. Todd Richardson, who was named legislator of the year by the Missouri Chamber

of Commerce for working to make the state more business friendly. Now that’s legit. By the way, is this the same lawmaker who the daily Photoshopped on a picture of a construction worker helmet for him supposedly not being a business advocate? No wonder they buried the press release. Fail!

It was a bad week for South-east Missouri legislators. Pardon the phrase, but we re-ally got screwed on the redis-

tricting maps. We hope Butler County can still get proper representation.

It was a good week for justice against

white collared criminals. Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, got the book thrown at him for his invol-

untary manslaughter case. Shame on physicians for abandoning their medi-cal ethics for a buck from a celebrity.

It was a bad week for KFVS-12’s Bob Reeves. November snowfall in Poplar Bluff? Sort it out, Bob-o.

It was a good week for local bus inesses that par-t i c i p a t e d

in Black Friday. We hope all the mom and

pop shop received a little stimulus boost.

It was a bad week for Pe-miscot County. The mayor, county road and bridge super-visor, and local businessmen

were arrested for alleged forgery and stealing. Time to clean house, boys.

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Tim Krakowiak Managing Editor

On his third go around, owner of Semo.net Brian Becker resub-

mitted his ‘open access’ petition con-taining over 3,200 signatures to the city clerk Monday.

If enough signatures are validated by the 10-day deadline, Poplar Bluff vot-ers will decide whether to reinstate the Internet service provider’s usage of the city broadband network presumably during the April election.

But the issue may have to be re-solved in Butler County Circuit Court, as Becker has sought declaratory judg-ment claiming the city disenfranchised voters, plus he got the American Civil Liberties Union involved.

Meanwhile a Smith and Company Engineering employee filed a com-plaint with the Missouri Ethics Com-mission against Becker for supposedly solici t ing donations during his ‘Let PB D e c i d e ’ campaign without fil-ing a dis-closure re-port to the state.

“ T h e r e has never been an is-sue where 600 people in any ward r e a c h e d out against their council members,” Becker said. “The people of Poplar Bluff have loud-ly spoken out to our local government about how dissatisfied they were about ending the open access that they paid for.”

In 2000, voters approved the issu-ance of $9 million in tax-exempt gen-

eral obligation bonds to finance a cable television network, and the following year City Cable added Internet.

Shortly thereafter, open access was offered to local ISPs up until May,

when the City Coun-cil ultimately discontinued the service, claiming that Semo.net, the private com-pany with the most custom-ers, was being subsidized by the city due to bandwidth overuse.

“If [Becker] has the proper number of

signatures in the proper form, it will go to a vote,” City Manager Doug Bagby wrote in an email, “and if it passes, we’ll do everything we can to keep the rate increase as low as possible.”

After a year and a half battling over open access—which grew as conten-tious as Becker suing the city for $1

million plus legal fees for damages to his business, and the city filing a coun-tersuit of $200,000 in unpaid bills and fees—Bagby declined to participate in an interview.

However, in a press release issued Nov. 17, Bagby suggested: “Poplar Bluff would be voting in rate increases for their own cable and Internet service so that Semo.net can use the city cable system in-stead of other facil-ities avail-able on the market.”

Citizens should ex-pect rate decreases if open a c c e s s b e c o m e s ava i lab le b e c a u s e they will have a choice again, Becker contend-ed. He said city officials are attempt-ing to monopolize an industry that was designed for “increasing the city’s tax base and enhancing the economic de-

velopment of the city,” according to the original ordinance.

“The government should be out there to break even, because when the government profits, it’s a tax,” Becker said. “If we have a local government whose goal is to make sure its citizens have the best network possible with the fastest speed, we could have 12,13 In-ternet companies, and consumers could make a selection based on services pro-vided.”

If a long-term agreement with a pri-vate ISP is established, Bagby contin-ued in his release, the city would be in jeopardy of losing the tax-exempt status of the bonds, which would cost more than $1 million in interest in-creases over the remaining nine-year lifespan.

“The city has maintained tax-free bonds for 10 years with an open access policy,” Becker pointed out. “Either the city owes the federal government back taxes over the last 10 years, or open access and tax-free bonds can ex-ist together.”

Although he refused to answer spe-cific questions due to the pending liti-gation, Mayor Ed DeGaris explained

that the c i t y ’ s cont rac t w i t h S e m o .net was s i m p l y renewed every 90 days un-til City C o u n c i l p h a s e d out the policy.

“If an ordinance was voted in by the people, and a permanent measure was passed, it would violate the covenant of the bonds,” DeGaris said. “Even at the

Will PB get to decide on open access?

Submitted PhotosSemo.net owner Brian Becker (left) and Poplar Bluff City Manager Doug Babgy (right) debate the open access petition.

“If [Brian Becker] has the proper number of signatures in the proper

form, it will go to a vote, and if it passes, we’ll do everything we can to keep the rate increase as low as

possible.”

-Doug Bagby,City of Poplar Bluff

“If we have a local government whose goal is to make sure its citizens have the best network possible with the fastest speed, we could have 12, 13 Internet companies, and consumers

could make a selection based on services provided.”

-Brian Becker,Semo.net

continued on pg 8

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Local press releases emailed to Managing Editor Tim Krakowiak at tim@semotimes.com also appear at www.semotimes.com, and are shared on the SEMO Times’ Facebook and Twitter pages.

Franz announces state Senate run in new 33rd District

WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Rep. Ward Franz confirmed that he would run in the redrawn Missouri Senate District 33, which now encompasses Howell County, where the fourth term legislator resides.

“I definitively plan on running in the newly reconfigured district,” Franz an-nounced today. “Butler and Howell coun-ties are very similar in almost every as-pect. I look forward to getting to visit with the friends I already have in Butler County and making new ones, and I look forward to visiting Poplar Bluff as soon as it is ap-propriate to do so.”

Other candidates rumored to seek the Republican nomination are Poplar Bluff businessman Doug Libla, and state Reps. Don Wells of Texas County and Jason Smith of Dent County.

Extreme makeover, downtown Poplar Bluff edition

Whether it is a new outfit, a fresh coat of paint or a complete redo, a makeover makes one look good and feel good. Look-ing good and feeling good is important to enticing customers and investors to Poplar Bluff’s historic downtown.

Downtown Poplar Bluff, Inc. and its partners are offering a boost to downtown business and property owners for just such a makeover. DPB is sponsoring a fa-çade renovation contest, with the winner receiving a cash prize of $1,500, $1,000 from US Bank, $500 from First Mid-west Bank and discounts from 4M Sign, Bootheel Sign, Brown Window, Gamblin Lumber and Sherwin Williams to help with the cost of renovation.

Three Rivers to present children’s show next Friday

The Imaginary Theatre Company of St. Louis will bring its production of the be-loved children’s tale “The Elves and the Shoemaker” to the Tinnin Fine Arts Cen-ter at 3 p.m. Dec. 11.

The show is part of the Patrons of the

Arts series at Three Rivers College, and is sponsored by a generous donation from Kissinger and Kirkman Investment Cen-tre.

Greenville trail project receives federal funding

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Eleven trail projects in Missouri will receive approxi-mately $1.3 million funding through the federal Recreational Trails Program, in-cluding $71,913 for the city of Greenville to construct a trail connecting the city to Wappapello Lake.

Three Rivers president releases gospel CD

Three Rivers College President Dr. Devin Stephenson has announced the re-lease of his sophomore fundraising CD “The Promise.”

The gospel album featuring Stephenson on piano and keyboards is on sale for $15 online and at college facilities and events. Also available are copies of “The Gift,” the Christmas-themed album Stephenson released for the college last year. Proceeds from the album sales will be added to the profits from last year’s sale of “The Gift” as part of a scholarship fund for Three Rivers students, which Stephenson hopes to endow this coming year.

Missouri Chamber names Richardson legislative freshman

of the yearKANSAS CITY, Mo. – Missouri’s lead-ing business organization took time re-cently to recognize state Rep. Todd Rich-ardson, R-Poplar Bluff, for his efforts to promote economic development and job growth. Richardson received a 2011 Leg-islative Freshman of the Year Award from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry during the organization’s annual meeting held Nov. 8 in Kansas City. Mis-souri Chamber President Dan Mehan said Richardson’s handling of legislation to address Missouri’s broken second injury fund made him a logical choice for the award.

BusinessPage 6

www.semotimes.com Business

Your Local Expert Liz Ellis Reporter

SEMO Times: What’s your name, and what do you do?

Dora Burns: Dora B. Burns, and I am an embalmer and funeral director for Fowler-Sullivan Funeral Home in Pop-lar Bluff and Neelyville.

ST: So, what exactly does an em-balmer do?

DB: I preserve the body so a fam-ily may have a public viewing. There is a bit involved with it, but basically we drain the blood and inject the body with embalming fluids.

ST: What made you decide to be-come an embalmer?

DB: In all honesty, I believe firmly that God called me to do this job. I have no friends or family in the business.

ST: Where did you learn to become an embalmer?

DB: I was a 2003 graduate of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park.

ST: What do you like about the job?

DB: I like serving the community I grew up in. My job allows families to cry if they need to or just talk and,

before you know it, we are laughing about memories. It is all about the fam-ily when I sit down to an arrangement conference with them. It is a perfect time and place to witness to hurting families who are grieving and help them.

ST: What is the most interesting part of the job?

DB: Interesting to me is sitting down any given day to make final arrange-ments with a family that I do not know. By the day of the funeral, I feel like I have a connection with them and some-times even a friendship. I set out to be friends and to be friendly with [every-one] I meet. Then months or years lat-er, I may have buried other members of their family. When off duty, I see them in a store or restaurant and we talk as

if we had known each other before. It’s very rewarding to me. I want them to know they can trust me to be genu-ine whether I am at work or at leisure. They are not a number to me or anyone at Fowler-Sullivan. They become our family when they walk through those doors.

ST: What are some common miscon-ceptions about your job?

DB: That we all make lots of money and that it is a ‘bad’ job. Funeral ser-vice is a very upstanding and respect-able career. The men get respected more but that is just a lack of education on [the] public’s part, I think. What makes an embalmer any different? My saying is: What do you call a doctor who graduated lowest in class? That’s right, a doctor. We all had to take [the] same kind of classes and take [the]

same kind of tests and we all have the same license.

ST: Anything else you’d like to men-tion?

DB: My husband Bryan and I have been married for 12 years and we have a 6-year-old boy and are members of Temple Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff. My Harwell family has deep roots here in Butler County and I am proud to be here at home servicing those I know and love. I also want readers to know how God worked all the details out to land me here at Fowler-Sullivan. They’re the best firm to work for. We service the basic needs of families and are able to provide extras when needed.

Liz Ellis can be reached by emailing lizellis@semotimes.com or by calling 573-785-2200.

Embalming

Dora Burns

Page 7

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NewsPage 8

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lowest rate with [refinanced] interest bearing bonds, every customer would have to pay $8-10 more a month for Inter-net service.”

Misinformation has been put out to the public that the city network had been subsidizing Semo.net, according to Beck-er. If his agenda was solely self-serving, he said, he would have never voted for a city-owned network over a decade ago; he would have built his own frontend infrastructure.

“Poplar Bluff has, in my opinion, one of the best built networks in the country,” Becker said. “If [open access] gets placed on the ballot and passes, we could become the

Silicon Valley of Missouri, pi-oneering a technology-centric community.”

He noted that the recent $7.2 billion in stimulus funds for rural broadband contains a mandate for open access, the current de facto standard for government built networks.

In a letter to the open access petition group dated June 28, Bagby countered that the dif-ference between federal grants and revenue bonds is the city has to pay the bonds back, and cannot enter into a private partnership that would equal more than 10 percent of the total revenue derived from the system.

“I’m going to do everything

I can to get open access taken care of, and if we throw away the good old boys in the pro-cess, Poplar Bluff will be a better place,” Becker conclud-ed. “I don’t know how we got singled out or why we became the target, but I do know the people of Poplar Bluff took notice.”

On Nov. 7, Becker delivered to City Council his last petition containing 3,472 signatures, which is more than 25 percent of registered voters in the lat-est gubernatorial election in 2008 as dictated by state stat-ute, but 1,595 signatures were invalidated by the city.

One of the signers disre-garded because her name sub-

mitted was not stapled to the full text of the proposal was 77-year-old Glenda Steelman, who switched to City Cable when Semo.net stopped pro-viding a last mile Internet con-nection.

“I thought I was sign-ing to get back my Semo.net,” Steelman said. “I could call out there whenever I run into something, and I usually would just ask for Becky, and she was quick to help me.”

Municipal Utilities lineman Dennis Gebelhardt does not subscribe to either service, so he is virtually unaffected by the issue, but he said he is enti-tled to his opinion as a citizen, and wants to know the truth of

the matter.“If Mr. Becker is looking

for free bandwidth, and turns around and charges people, I’m against that,” Gebelhardt said. “But if the city pro-vides Semo.net bandwidth at a certain dollar amount, they should compete on a level playing field, where the city pays for their share and he pays for his.”

Tim Krakowiak can be con-tacted by emailing tim@semo-times.com, or follow him on Twitter @TimKrakowiak.

from pg 4

Open access petition submitted to city

News Page 9

www.semotimes.com News

Down

1. Cries of discovery2. Aggregation3. Highland hillside;4. Arterial plaque deposit5. Band’s sample tapes6. ___-Locka, Florida7. Actress Talbot8. Persistent rasca 9. Animal10. Informally

11. Sun. delivery12. Buddy13. Hither and ___21. Apply lightly23. Marked down26. Cobra, e.g.27. Add fizz28. Hopple29. Less cluttered30. Esoteric31. Ominous32. Spinoza’s specialty33. Histological stain36. Birthplace of St. Francis

46. Be human48. Beast of Borden49. Bid51. “The King and I” setting53. Earth goddess54. Elemental unit55. Contact, e.g.56. Monitor, for short57. Actress Charlotte58. Author LeShan60. “Exodus” her

Crossword of the Week

Solution on pg 16

Across

1. Goya’s “The Duchess of ___”5. Puts on9. Military fur hat14. Injure

15. Heroic16. Diciembre follower17. Eastern nanny18. First name in spydom19. Greek physician, son of

Xenon20. Tight swimsuit22. Strike ___24. ___ Tafari (Haile Selassie)25. Beg29. Influential person32. Clothes-pins

34. Gen. Robert ___

35. Aphrodite’s son36. Now, in Nogales37. Trading center38 Like some

appliance39. Agave fiber40. Colorful fish41. Follow42. Pizzeria order43. Evening, informally44. Feminine ending45. Actress Skye46. Bird that gets you down47. Go back49. Acapulco gold50. Miscellanies52. Meager56. Salad green59. “La Vie en Rose” singer

61. Fill completely62. Spokes63. Fabled loser64. Boxer Spinks65. Fluff, as bangs66. Primordial giant in Norse myth67. Edible roots

The Book ShopPresented by

320 N. Main Street, Poplar Bluff 573-714-5642

Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com Used with permission www.bestcrosswords.com

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Dining Review Page 13

www.semotimes.com Dining Review

Food Review:

SEMO TIMES Review Team

OK, so one thing you need to know about us is that we are BBQ fans. Whenever we hear of anything new in BBQ this side of Strawberries, then we are bound to check it out. So when we heard about Smokin Aces, we beat a path to the newest restaurant in south Poplar Bluff. Smokin Aces is in the old Spencer’s Drive Inn location across from Whiteley Park, and still has some of the old charm. A window remains in the front for pick-up orders, but new owner Mike McKuin has put his own

touch on the place, leaving some room for entertainment in the back. The first thing you notice is that some of Mike’s charm has rubbed off on the staff as they are always happy to see you, and genuinely seem content to be there. Everything looked great, but I settled on a BBQ sandwich, and my husband ordered up a pork steak. The one thing that stood out about the sandwich was that it was huge. The pork steak was very juicy and, with a little of their sauce, it was fantastic. What went great with all that was our sides. Trust me, if you leave Smokin Aces hungry, it’s your fault.

About the time we were finished, to our surprise, we were reminded about the ice cream, which was spot on! The next time we need to scratch our BBQ itch,

it will be at Smokin Aces.

Smokin Aces515 Hwy. 53Poplar Bluff

Smokin Aces

Arts & Entertainment Page 14

www.semotimes.comArts & Entertainment

Liz Ellis Reporter

The Stage Company will be per-forming their annual Christmas

play, “A Christmas Story” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10, as well at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 11. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children under the age of 12, and free for children 3 and under.

“It’s a Christmas classic,” said Mi-chael Starnes, who portrays the father in the play. “You can’t go through the Christmas season without seeing this play.”

The play, director David Carroll ex-plained, is very similar to the movie. However, movie fans will not be bored.

“It’s like the movie plus,” Carroll said. “There are scenes in the play that weren’t in the movie and vice versa. All of the favorite scenes are there, though: the tongue on the flag pole, the bunny pajamas…”

For those not familiar with the mov-ie, it is set in 1939 and tells the story of a young boy, Ralphie, who is looking back on a memorable Christmas. The child in the play wants a Red Rider BB Gun, and attempts to convince ev-eryone that it is a good idea, to which many respond with the infamous line, ‘You’ll shoot your eye out!’

“I have to admit, I never liked the movie,” Carroll said. “I was never able to sit through the entire movie… but when I read the script, I loved it. Most of the cast tried out because they loved the movie, and they all like the play as well.”

So, Carroll said, there is a little bit of something for everyone.

“It’s like listening to a local singer perform a popular song,” said Dean Huster, who plays the narrator. “People listen to it, and while [the singer] may do it well, some people don’t like it be-cause it’s not like the original… but I

think most people will understand that it’ll be different.”

The Stage Company version of “A Christmas Story” is a two-hour show, and will feature a 20-minute intermission. During the intermis-sion, members of the Stage Com-pany will sing Christmas carols.

“A lot of people have a tradition of watching this movie every year,” Carroll said. “I think it’ll really get [the audience] into the X-mas spir-it.”

The play has been in the making since October, and has hit a few bumps along the way—including the cast having to rehearse at the Holy Cross Episcopal Church and getting the rights to perform the play. And that was only part of it.

“According to the script, this calls for a much larger stage than we have available to us for Rodg-ers Theatre, so it had to be modi-fied considerably to even get it on stage,” Carroll said.

Liz Ellis can be reached by email-ing lizellis@semotimes.com or by calling 573-785-2200.

Stage Company to perform Christmas classic this weekend

Dean Huster …………………Ralph (Story Teller)Hilary Taylor………………....MotherMichael Starnes………....…...The Old ManLance Hewett……………...…RalphieLandon Owens……………….RandyEmma Owens………………...Esther JaneAaron Taylor…………………SchwartzArizona Depler……………….HelenJonathan Craig………………..FarkasMekhi Starnes……………...…FlickVeronica Tapley………………Miss ShieldsAshlee Lazalier....................... .Jennifer (named extra)

Plus other extras not mentioned here

Submitted Photo(From left) Cast members Hilary Taylor, Michael Starnes, Lance Owens and Lance Hewett pose on the set of “A Christmas Story,” which will open this weekend at 7:30 p.m.

Submitted PhotoLance Hewett, who plays Ralphie in the upcoming show “A Christmas Story,” wears the famous bunny paja-mas from the movie.

Cast List

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News

News

Senator Rob Mayer (R-25)

Staff Report SEMO Times

With the recent turmoil on the Republican Party’s side of the gu-bernatorial race many are looking to local state Sen. Rob Mayer as a candidate who could put forward a serious conservative alternative to Democratic incumbent Jay Nixon. However, despite encourage-ment from many both locally and in Jefferson City, Mayer seems pessimistic on making the race. For the better part of three years the race was expected to be personal as well as a political heavyweight battle between Nixon and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. That was until two weeks ago when Kinder dropped out following a scandal. In the wake of Kinder’s with-drawal, an unknown St. Louis businessman announced plans to run while many party leaders still search for an established candidate, some of whom for our own: Mayer. When asked about the possibil-ity of a run for governor, Mayer was cynical: “I’ve been honored and privileged to serve the people of the 25th Senatorial district. I

have met many wonderful people throughout the district and have made many new friends. So their confidence in my abilities is very kind and I appreciate it. A guber-natorial race would require $8-12 million to run a competitive race. I don’t have that amount of resourc-es and don’t have the ambition nor time to raise that kind of money.” When asked hypothetically how Missouri would be different under with a Gov. Mayer, he replied: “I would pass laws that would change employment law, specifically pass a law that says workers have a choice to belong to a union or not, reform the tax code to give Mis-souri businesses the incentive to expand their businesses to create more jobs. Also, completely re-form the state government to bring greater efficiency and less expense in delivering services to Missouri-ans. Moreover, provide regulation reform to eliminate burdensome regulations that choke off eco-nomic growth and job creation and streamline the process to allow businesses the ability to move more quickly in their operations.” While Mayer denies his ability to run, there are a few locals who

desire the senator to take another look. “I think that Rob’s coura-geous stance on the Right to Work issue is an example of what type of leadership our state needs right now,” said Stoddard County Pros-ecuting Attorney Russ Oliver. Mayer’s support is not regulated to political leaders. Bill Thompson of Neelyville agreed with Oliver: “We simply have to do something to control the union’s grip on the state’s economy. Mayer tried to do something. We need somebody who can stand up and be counted.” Whoever eventually becomes the Republican nominee, has an uphill battle against Nixon, whose job approval is polling in the 60 percentile.

Will Our Senator Be Our Next Governor?

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Crossword Solution

from pg 9

The Book Shop320 N Main Poplar Bluff

573-714-5642 Presents

Opinion & Editorial Page 17

www.semotimes.com Opinion & Editorial

The holiday party season is here. And the big question is, “What do I wear?”

Really, it's easier to deal with the sit-uation by determining what you should NOT wear.

First, pay attention to the invitation. Frequently the invitation gives you subtle hints as to dress code. First, if it's a nice invitation that arrived through the mail, that is your first hint that this is not a casual get-together. So... don't show up in jeans and a sweater. If the invitation says “black tie,” definitely nix the jeans idea.

Next, consider the venue of the party. If it's a ballroom, you're going to have to step-up your wardrobe. If it's at someone's home, it will likely be fairly casual. Then you have to consider who your host is and what their style is. You know which of your friends likes to glam it up, and which ones prefer nachos and beer. Dress according to how you think your host or hostess will dress.

As a rule, your best bet is to be mod-erate. Don't wear jeans, but don't come dressed like the Christmas tree, either. For guys, this is fairly simple. Leave your jeans and cowboy hat or baseball cap at home, and go for at least an of-fice casual look. When it comes to wardrobe, men are cut a lot of slack. I consider Kevin dressed up if he wears something other than jeans and a Hilderbrand Diamond Company shirt. He insists it's advertising.

For women dressing for parties is much more complicated. I love sparkle. But even I recognize that you can over-do sparkle. If you're wearing a sparkly dress, sparkly heels, sparkly jewelry and are wearing body glitter, you've probably overdone the sparkle. That's why the little black dress, again, wins

the holiday dressing contest. The dress itself is basic, but you can easily glam it up with jewelry, shoes and other ac-cessories, including more makeup than one would normally wear.

Moderation is also the goal if you choose the favorite Christmas color... red. A red dress, red shoes and bright red lipstick is a bit too much red. Tone it down with metallic shoes and purse, and perhaps makeup that's a bit more subtle.

And be practical with dress length. Club wear is fine for the dance club, but a micro-mini is not tasteful nor practi-cal for a holiday party. Remember... it's cold outside. Frost-bitten thighs are just not attractive. The same goes for shoes. Dance club platforms don't do well on ice or snow. If the weather is bad, it might not even be a bad idea to bring your snow boots along in case of a slippery parking lot. You can change into your sparkly heels once you're in-side.

So... be somewhat moderate in attire.But... in the end I always do what

I feel like doing. I could very easily break every single rule I've just passed on to you.

That's because the very most impor-tant rule to me is HAVE FUN! Have fun with your own personal style! Have fun with your family and friends!

Life is too short to not sparkle every time you get the chance!

Tammy Hilderbrand is the owner of Hilderbrand Diamond Company in Poplar Bluff, which can be found online at www.hilderbranddiamond-company.com. You can reach her by emailing tammy@hilderbranddia-mondcompany.com.

To Sparkle? Or not to sparkle?

The right real estate agent can make buying or selling a home easier, more profitable, and sometimes downright fun. The wrong real estate agent can... well, let's just say, "You need to find the right agent." Poplar Bluff has 60 or 70 licensed real estate agents. We're easy to find. But what makes one "right for you" and another a walking night-mare? It's kind of like dating and mar-riage. There's someone for everyone. The goal is to find the one that is your match. Here's how:

Go on a blind date; visit an open house. I don't care if you're consider-ing selling your home and have no interest in buying one. I don't care if the house that is open that Sunday af-ternoon is the last property you'd ever consider buying. Scope out the agent. If he/she is pushy, rude or uninterested, the open house was a success for you. It was kinda like a bad first date. If you find them to be helpful, attentive and act like they sincerely have your best interests and those of the home seller in mind, BINGO.... love at first sight! If the two of you don't click, don't waste your time or theirs.

Clinger or player? Remember the guy/gal that was always too busy for you, even though they said they want-ed a relationship? Remember the one who smothered you? Real estate agents

come in those flavors, too. Find one that has time for you. He/she should be able to take your calls most of the time. If they are busy when you call, they should return them within a couple of hours. But they should not "pester the fire out of you," as my grandmother would have said. Find that agent who will do the legwork for you and make your part of the transaction simple. One who will be there when you need them.

Commit. When you find an agent you like and are comfortable with, commit to them. Like dating, we are as loyal to you as you are to us. If we know you are working with five oth-er agents, we fear we are wasting our time. We'd honestly rather see you commit to an agent at another office than bounce around all over the place. Almost every agent in Poplar Bluff can show (and sell) almost every property in the area, regardless of who listed it. So find Mr. (or Ms.) Right and nurture your relationship. If we aren't as dedi-cated to you, dump us.

Honestly, some agents will read this and cringe. But they aren't the ones you want to be involved with. Don't settle. Trust me (I know, you've heard that one before, too), but real estate buying and selling can be an enjoyable journey when you find the right partner. Happy dating!

Available? Let me hook you up with my realtor!

AdvicePage 18

www.semotimes.com Advice

Dear Joy,My girlfriend and I recently got back together after a three-month

split. We are trying to give our relationship another go but we’ve already ran into some bumps. A guy that she went out with a few times while we were apart has been trying to contact her. She tells me there is nothing there but she is checking his Facebook page every day. I want to trust her but I don’t want the same problems we had before the split. Also my family wants nothing to do with me if I am with her. I want them to support me but they refuse to hear my reasons for trying to make the relationship work.

-Confucius, Poplar BluffConfucius,First I would really like to know why you split up a few

months ago, but since I don’t, I will give it my best shot.If she is on Facebook with someone she went out with

while you were broken up and you don’t want her to be, tell her. In my opinion, if she wants to be in a relationship with you she needs to respect your concerns and defriend this chap. I know we all have friends of the opposite sex, but if it is a problem for you and you’re trying to work this out, then she really needs to decide if her friend is worth causing problems for you. Now you can’t be a control freak and choose her friends, but in this case, as I said, he’s gone.As far as your family, I don’t know the details of how

she treated you. They may have real concerns for you. It puts you in a hard position, for sure. If you want this to work with her, you may not want to discuss her with your family until you know for sure it is going to work. If they see that you love her and she makes you a better person then I would imagine they will come around. This might be an interesting CHRISTmas around your table!!!

Best of Luck.-Joy

A weekly advice column from a local romance expert, Ask Joy is our own ver-sion of Ask Abby. To ask Joy a relationship question, email her at askjoyinthe-times@hotmail.com, or friend her on Facebook at Ask Joy.

Event Calendar Page 19

www.semotimes.com Event Calendar

See it LiveMatt Stell

and the Crashers

The band Matt Stell and the Crashers are an interesting mix of country, americana

and blues with a dash of folk and soul and a liberal amount of good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n roll thrown in

the mix.

Where: Scooters II

When: Dec. 9, 2011

9 p.m.

Band members:Matt Stell

Vocals

Joey RowlettBass Guitar

Darren BarryLead Guitar

Cliff AaronDrums

Community Calendar

To submit an event, go to www.semotimes.com and click on the +bluffee tab

SemoTimes

Upcoming community events from Dec. 3 - 31

“Peace Windows” Art Class

Dec. 310 a.m. - noon

Margaret Harwell Art Museum Annex

Poplar Bluff

“Jive Puppets” Art Class

Dec. 31 - 3 p.m.

Margaret Harwell Art Museum An-

nex

“50 States Fired Up: An American Pottery Invi-

tational Exhibit” Open House

Dec. 31-4 p.m.

Margaret Harwell Art Museum

Poplar Bluff

“Holiday Memory Book” Art Class

Dec. 1010 a.m. - noon

Margaret Harwell Art Museum An-

nex

“Rain Stick Design” Art Class

Dec. 3110 a.m. - noon

Margaret Harwell Art Museum An-

nex

Sounds of Christmas

Dec. 187 p.m.

Palace of Praise Church

Poplar Bluff

“Marbled Paper” Art ClassDec. 17

1 - 3 p.m.Margaret Harwell

Art Museum Annexpoplar Bluff

“Little Villages” Art Class

Dec.179 a.m. - noon

Margaret Harwell Art Museum An-

nex

“Self Portrait Paintings” Art ClassDec. 31

1 - 3 p.m.Margaret Harwell Art

Museum Annex Poplar Bluff

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol

Dec. 37 p.m.

Tinnin Fine Arts Center

Poplar Bluff

Glass Slipper BenefitDec. 10

5 p.m - midnightBlack River Coliseum

Poplar Bluff

Emmanuel House of Praise Anniversary

Dec. 123 p.m.

Emmanuel House of Praise Church

Poplar Bluff