2 Broadcaster Press August 7, 2018 www.broadcasteronline.com When Work Gets Tense Dave Says Finding Responsible Renters Don’t Allow Them To Break The Rules 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 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 Joe, In my experience, most landlords simply aren’t thorough enough with the screening process when it Dave comes to potential tenants. It’s difficult 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 By Daris Howard 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. Dakota Senior Meals Served at The Main Street Center & Town Square, “Meals on Wheels”. Please call before 9:00am to schedule or cancel a meal at 624-7868. Menus listed below are August 8th to August 14th. Menus are subject to change without notice. All menus are served with whole grain bread and 1% milk unless otherwise noted. Thursday – 3 oz. Pork Roast, 1/2c Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy, 1/2c Harvard Beets, 1/2c Applesauce Friday –1/2c Tuna & Noodles, 1c Tossed Salad, 1/2c Broccoli, 1/2c Peach Crisp Monday – 3/4c Sweet & Sour Pork, 1/2c Cooked Rice, 1/2c Oriental Veggies, 1/2c Apricots Tuesday – 3 oz. Salsbury Steak, 1/2c Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, 1/2c Carrots, 1/2c Peaches Wednesday - 3 oz. Hamburger, 1/2c Potato Salad, 1/2c Carrots, 1/2c Pears 4-H Boosts Leadership Skills And Civic Engagement confidence to grow and thrive as leaders.” The South Dakota 4-H members who attended included: Casondra Gerlach, Aurora County; Nathan Gauer, Beadle County; Frank Huber, Bennett County; Naomi Thayer, Bennett County; Jensina Davis, Brookings County; Regan Heine, Clay County; Nicole Hauck, Clay County; Callie Flemming, Codington County; Callie Mueller, Codington County; Bailey Schlotterbeck, Codington County; Talitha “Tali,” Jones, Custer County; Hannah Miller, Davison County; Kendra Johnson, Day County; Riley Johnson, Day 2x1 County; Collin Amundson, Day County; Curt Spilde, Deuel County; Sydney Miller, Fall River County; Kristopher Wagner Tubbs, Fall River County; Alyssa Meyer, Faulk County; Noah Mursu, Grant County; Kelcey Butler, Haakon County; Julie Fischer, Hamlin County; Jacob Prouty, Hamlin County; Mickeala Boyd, Hamlin County; Brandon their leadership skills, BROOKINGS, S.D. communication skills Forty-one South Dakota and overall confidence,” 4-H youth learned about said Amanda Stade, SDSU political processes in the Extension State 4-H Events vibrant, living classroom Management Coordinator. of the nation’s capital, Youth who attended Washington D.C., as part the 2018 conference of Citizenship Washington were selected through an Focus, an intensive 4-H civic engagement program application process. During the week-long for high-school youth conference, teens get a held at the National 4-H behind-the-scenes look at Conference Center in the nation’s capital while Chevy Chase, Maryland. meeting with members “Citizenship Washington Focus opened of Congress to learn more about how their my mind to possibilities government works. and what makes 4-H and At the end of the being an American great,” program, youth draft stepsaid Andrew Rommann, by-step action plans to a 4-H member from important issues Minnehaha County. Br years, addresscommunities. in their For more than 50oadca steronlin e.c “CWF is a greatom Citizenship Washington opportunity for young Focus has brought 4-H people to come together, members from across the talk about the problems nation to Washington D.C. they see in their During the conference, communities, and identify youth participate in civic solutions to make their workshops, committees communities stronger,” and field trips. said Jennifer Sirangelo, “Citizenship president & CEO, National Washington Focus not 4-H Council. “The only strengthens young experiences these young people’s understanding people gain during CWF of the government’s civic process, but it also boosts gives them the tools and Broadcasteronline.c om Cordell, Harding County; Reese Jensen, Harding County; Morgan Buck, Harding County; Jacob Birkeland, Jones County; Lyndey Dean, Lawrence County; Alex Ruud, Lincoln County; Nicole Nelson, Lincoln County; Nathan Andersen, Meade County; Brady Buchholz, Meade County; Elisabeth Kluin, Minnehaha County; Andrew Rommann, Minnehaha County; Clare Klein, Moody County; Abby Moon, Pennington County; Macy Nelson, Roberts County; Grant Hamilton, Spink County; Amber Donovan, Ziebach County and Ariana Schumacher, Hughes County. To learn more about how you can become involved in Citizenship Washington Focus 2019, contact your local SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Program Advisor. A 3x1 complete listing can be found at iGrow under the Field Staff icon. Broadcasteronline.c om Celebrating 80 Years 4x1 Ice Cream Social Main Street Center The Family Of 320 W Main St., Vermillion Claudette Jensen Thursday, August 9 • 5:00–6:30 pm would like to honor her with a card shower in celebration of her 80th Birthday on August 14th! Serving Sandwich, Chips, Pie, Ice Cream & Beverages Adult $6 / Child (3-8) $3 The Main Street Center (aka ~ Senior Citizens Center) Thank You For Your Support! Greetings may be sent to her at PO Box 53, Gayville, SD 57031 LIVE! ON NMM Presents: STAGE 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. 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 flood dAmAged Acres? Whiskey Rich Get your ad in the.. Sponsored by: Classifieds Ask About free shipping Supplies are tight. Call now. producing quality seed at fair prices since 1963 August 9th, 5:30 – 7:30pm Ratingen Platz, Downtown Vermillion 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 underrepresented 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. dakota’s best seed 36656 sd hwy 44 • Platte, SD 57369 605.337.3318 Today! CALL: 624-4429 or FAX: 624-2696 EMAIL: classifieds@plaintalk.net ONLINE: BroadcasterOnline.com DROP BY: 201 W. Cherry, Vermillion