Ameren to award SmartLights grants

AmerenUE has announced it will award grants for energy-efficient SmartLights to nonprofit civic and community organizations in the company's Missouri and Illinois service area. Individual grants of up to $5,000 will be issued for new or replacement indoor and outdoor lighting equipment. Applications must be postmarked no later than Sept. 1 and are available via Ameren's Web site at www.ameren.com.

JCS/Tel-Link receives award from Verizon

Verizon Wireless recently presented JCS/Tel-Link in Cape Girardeau with a 2003 Lifetime Agent Achievement Award at Verizon's regional meeting. Only two of these awards were given in the Kansas City/St. Louis Midwest Region, which has more than 100 agent locations.

Small-business workshop coming to Jackson

There will be a three-hour workshop titled "Starting a Small Business: The First Steps" at 6 p.m. April 27 at the University of Missouri Extension in Jackson. It is designed for people considering a new business venture. For further information or to register for the workshop, call 243-3581.

-- From staff reports