Speakout 1/9

I have a 41-year-old daughter who is handicapped and is in need of a recliner. If anyone has one to give away or to sell at a price we could afford, she would surely appreciate it. She works at the Sheltered Community Workshop. Call 667-9996.

Congratulations Mike on revising your Christmas Campaign. We encountered the same thing you encountered. When we delivered Christmas baskets for our church, we found that some of the people were unable to buy food because they were spending their money on beer and liquor.

For the past quite a few years, I have had homeowner's insurance with a Sikeston company. I live in Charleston, and due to the heavy snow, I had a lot of damage to the patio that was attached to the house. I called the adjustor and insurance company and they said I was not covered. We cannot find any place in my policy that says I am not covered for this catastrophe. Please, check your insurance before you pay out all this good money and don't get anything for it.

I agree with the caller from Memphis, Tenn., who got ripped off by a local towing company. I know of one company that was ripping people off during the snow storm. They ripped off a friend of mine, pushed them out of a parking lot and charged them $100. I am surprised at the local police department for condoning this practice and allowing it to happen. I am also disappointed that they allowed people to monitor a scanner in order to make a profit. That should be against the law. DPS should have stepped forward for the people and making the people treat others with respect and being reasonable in their charges. Pushing someone out of a parking lot should not have been more than $50. If someone had run off the road and into a ditch, I could see where the $100 charge could be justified, but not to just get pushed out of a parking lot. This is a total disgrace to Sikeston.

We cannot name the business you referred to in your article. However, you can contact the Missouri Attorney General's office or Better Business Bureau to file a complaint. Here are the addresses for both: Attorney General Jay W. Nixon, P.O. Box 899, Jefferson City, MO 65102 (Phone: 573-751-3321); Consumer Protection Hotline toll-free 1-800-392-8222 (to file a consumer complaint or check on the legitimacy of a business or charity). Better Business Bureau, 12 Sunnen Drive Suite 121, St. Louis, MO 63143 (phone: 314-645-3300).

On Jan. 3, the men at the Sikeston Eagles took the kitchen away from the Ladies Auxiliary, so the men will be responsible for the Friday night fish dinners and any other cooking, except when it says "auxiliary charity dinner." I just want the public to be aware that as of Jan. 3, the ladies are no longer cooking.

Did anyone tape the Jan. 4 Jane Pauley show on Channel 6? If so, please call me at 471-2751.