August 7, 2018 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Dave Says Finding Responsible Renters Dear Dave, I’m a landlord, and I own a few houses and duplexes around town. Recently, I made the mistake of renting to some tenants who were not respectful of my property. Do you have any tips for selecting good renters? Joe Dear Joe, In my experience, most landlords simply aren’t thorough enough with the screening process when it comes to potential tenants. It’s diffiDave cult to get to know someone — especially in this kind of situation — without spending some face-to-face time with them and digging into their backgrounds a little. I have several rental properties, so here are a few tips that have served me well over the years. Always require a big deposit up front. In addition, pull a credit bureau report on prospective renters. I also drive by the place they’re currently living to see how they take care of things. To me, this is a great indication of how responsible they are, and how they might treat my property. Finally, get proof they’ve regularly made past rental payments on time. It’s a leap of faith, to an extent, any time you sign an agreement with a new tenant. But there are things you can do to make a more informed decision as to whom you’re doing business with! — Dave Ramsey Apprenticeship Incentive Funding Webinar Scheduled PIERRE, S.D. – The Department of Labor and Regulation (DLR) will host a webinar on Thursday, Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. CDT for applicants interested in applying for apprenticeship incentive funding. Businesses may apply for up to a maximum of $30,000 in funding to help offset the initial start-up costs when developing a new apprenticeship program. Applications will be accepted from Aug. 1 through Oct. 19. “We recognize there is considerable effort required to start a new apprenticeship,” said DLR Secretary Marcia Hultman. “This funding will offset some of the initial costs incurred by a business to increase the number and variety of apprenticeship opportunities available.” To register for the webinar, visit StartTodaySD.com. Program staff will explain the application, instructions and key factor incentives. Funding priority will be given to programs offering training in information technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, business services, hospitality, utilities and agriculture. Programs designed to increase engagement for under-represented populations will also be given priority. DLR was recently awarded an $847,000 State Expansion Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s ApprenticeshipUSA program. The goal is to add 200 active apprentices by fall 2020. Stitch For A Cause From now thru September come help stitch hats and scarves for our local elementary schools. Don’t Allow Them To Break The Rules Dear Dave, A debt collector has been calling members of my family for the last two weeks to get information on me. He identified himself as collector, and I want to pay what I owe, but is it legal for him to do this? Kerry Dear Kerry, No, it isn’t legal. If he identified himself in any way as a debt collector, and spoke with anyone but you about your debt, he broke the law. This is a violation of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. You need to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against this collector and his company. Record the conversation the next time they call. Tell them at the beginning you’ll be taping any interaction you have with them from that point forward, and ask your relatives to do the same. That way, you’ll have proof to hand over to the FTC or the attorney general. There’s nothing wrong with collecting a debt. If you’re a collector or creditor, it’s money that is legally owed to you. Still, you must do it within the confines of the law. — Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven bestselling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. “Bert looks good this morning, Doc,” Dud said, quietly. Three stools down the counter, Bert smiled and said, “Yes, I certainly do!” We turned toward our old pal. “You heard that?” “Sure did, guys,” he grinned. “Look….” He pointed to his ears. “Hearing aids,” he said. We walked over and looked, and sure enough. “It was Maizie’s idea,” Bert said. “She made the appointment and everything. Said she was tired of having the TV on so loud.” “But it was a good idea, Bert,” Doc said. “Oh, I know. I’d been thinking about it for some time, Doc, but you know how a guy gets. You never really want to admit you need them, I guess. Truth is, I didn’t know how bad my hearing had become until I got them. Yesterday, when we got that little shower … I heard the rain on the roof. I heard a clock tick, too, and it’s been years for both those things.” “Both what things?” said Herb. We all looked at each other. We knew who should be next. “Rain and clocks, Herb.” “Oh … yeah.” “The hearing test lady came in the little room when the test was over and asked me if I’d shot guns a lot,” Bert said. Bert’s younger days as a hunting guide brought nods and chuckles from us. “There’s a range of sound that loud noises can hurt, and I guess that’s what happened with me. Turns out, it’s also the range of most women’s voices.” He grinned. “That may have something to do with Maizie’s making that appointment for me. Now I have no excuse when she says things like ‘Take out the trash’ and ‘When are you gonna mow the lawn?’” When Work Gets Tense By Daris Howard It was graduation week at the university in our small town. Students were finishing up finals and didn’t have time to make their own food. Parents were coming into town and wanted to take their college children out for dinner. Because of this, the workers at the fast food restaurants had to work extra hours. And they were exhaustingly busy hours, too. All of this created a tense atmosphere at some of the restaurants, especially those with defined limits on how long it was supposed to be from the time food was ordered to the time it was delivered. John, a friend of mine, was working at a hamburger place that had such a defined limit. The goal was ninety seconds from order to delivery. Though they didn’t usually make that time, everything was compared to it. Making matters more intense, managers’ evaluations were based on the average delivery time. As huge groups came in and the time for delivery went up, the shift managers often grew more and more tense. But worse than taking a long time was getting an order wrong. It was especially bad when something was left out that had been paid for. When this happened, the item was not only provided, but a coupon for a free meal was given. This decreased profits and, in turn, became a negative mark for the manager of that shift. John said that on one particular evening, the line to order food was often out the door. Customers were getting irate, adding to the problem. In addition, a couple of workers had called in sick, leaving the crew short-handed. Every employee there was working as fast as possible, and mistakes were inevitable. A few customers ended up having items missing in their orders, and coupons had to be given. All of this was making the manager tense, and he was becoming terser with the other employees, and his voice was rising. John was one of those loading food onto trays or into sacks, and he caught his share of the manager’s ire. It was right at that point that the unimaginable happened. A man in a dark business suit, with a lady in a nice evening gown, stepped up to order. From John’s vantage point, he could see those preparing the food, but he was also out near the front counter. As the man ordered, John saw one of the workers reach for the tartar sauce gun. The sauce guns looked like big caulk guns. A worker would pull the trigger just enough to give the right amount of sauce. But the worker didn’t get a good grasp on the tartar sauce gun, and it slipped from his grasp. It fell in the worst possible way, with the backside down. The mechanism with the spring that pushed the tartar sauce to the nozzle smashed against the cement floor. When this happened, it almost always shot the sauce onto the ceiling. All of those preparing the food immediately looked up. But John had seen the white stream of sauce pass right by him. He turned to the counter, and to his dismay, he saw it had made a big splotch on the customer’s suit jacket. The face of the woman next to the man ordering went white, and instantly, everyone in the restaurant, employees and customers alike, went silent. John said the manager just froze and didn’t seem to know what to do. But the cashier was a young man named Seth who was known for his quick wit and humor. He looked at the big white splotch on the man’s black suit and said, “Would you like a chicken sandwich with that?” The man suddenly broke into laughter, and after a moment the lady with him joined in. Soon everyone was laughing, the customers in the foyer, the employees, and even the manager. The man and woman received their meals free and were given a washcloth and a coupon for the restaurant to pay for the dry cleaning of the suit. But the main thing that happened was that the tension was eased, and the whole atmosphere in the restaurant changed. Humor has a way of doing that. Dining & Entertainment entertainment Visit eweknitit.com for details! • Yarns • Books • Needles • Hooks flooDED acrES? 909 Broadway, Tripp Park Plaza 605-689-3999 Open: Mon.-Fri. 10am-6pm Sat. 10am-5pm • www.eweknitit.com PREMIUM covER cRoP HYGAin flood dAmAged Acres? GrAzinG BlenD ? ? ? ? Excellent summer & fall pasture Excellent soil builder Economical with minimal inputs Diverse mix of turnips, radish, millets, sudangrass, rape, annual ryegrass, clover, lentils ASK ABOUT FREE SHIPPING! Call TODAY for best bid proDucing quality SEED at fair pricES SincE 1963 Ask About free shipping Supplies are tight. 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