Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed House Joint Resolution (HJR) 68, a proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the state sales and use tax by an increase of .75 percent for 10 years in order to fund transportation projects. The measure will be put to a vote of the people and the governor selected the amendment to appear on the August primary.  The amendment requires a simple majority to pass.

The issue, HJR 68,  is on the ballot for Aug. 5, 2014, as Constitutional Amendment 7, and will read:

“Should the Missouri Constitution be changed to enact a temporary sales tax of three-quarters of one percent to be used solely to fund state and local highways, roads, bridges and transportation projects for ten years, with priority given to repairing unsafe roads and bridges? This change is expected to produce $480 million annually to the state's Transportation Safety and Job Creation Fund and $54 million for local governments.  Increases in the gas tax will be prohibited. This revenue shall only be used for transportation purposes and cannot be diverted for other uses.”

The Missouri Department of Transportation has been holding public meetings seeking input about proposed projects across the state; I have been attending these meetings and encourage others to do the same so they are well-informed when they go to the polls in August. The next and final meeting in our area will be held July 2 from 4:30-6 p.m. at Mountain Grove City Hall, 100 East State Street, Mountain Grove. It is important for citizens to get involved on a local level.

For more information on the meetings and proposed projects, visit www.modot.org/movingforward.

Last week I attended three festivals in four days: the Old Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival; the Go Green Self-Reliance Festival in Thayer; and White Hart Renaissance Faire.

Many of us attending the Go Green Self-Reliance Festival got wet, very wet, but the event still went smoothly.  I looked forward to attending this event for months, and once there, was pleasantly surprised by the amount of good information available.  There were 16 speakers and I enjoyed listening to talks regarding preparation for emergency disasters and planning, wind power and organic gardening, among others. I enjoyed the entire event and evening entertainment, but wish the rain had held off.

The White Hart Renaissance Faire included actors dressed in full costume, several stages with entertainment, and local artists and vendors selling their wares. The Elizabethan dancers were a favorite of mine. Groups like theirs must spend hours of time researching, practicing and fine tuning their art form to ensure not only its historical accuracy, but that it will be entertaining for the crowd, and let me tell you, this group did an amazing job.

The Old Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival in West Plains, is an annual event that I look forward to. The event included musical performances by a host of local and wonderfully talented groups and individuals. There was even a Dutch oven cook-off, mule jump, jig dance competition, egg-in-spoon races, and a stage that was dedicated to teaching and demonstrating the fine art of whipping up some good, down-home cooking the Ozarks are known for.