Today's Feature

Budget Hearings Begin Tonight.

The City Council Budget Ways and Means Committee will meet this evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall for the first session of the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Hearings. Items on the agenda include the Fiscal 2009 Agency budget requests.

The agencies are scheduled as follows: 6:30 p.m. Overview of Fiscal 2009 Budget, 6:45 p.m. Over-60 Center, 7:00 p.m. Chamber of Commerce, 7:30 p.m. Humane Society, 7:45 p.m. Library, 8:00 p.m. break, 8:15 p.m. Convention & Visitors Bureau, 8:30 p.m. American Legion Baseball, 8:45 p.m. Girls Softball, 9:00 p.m. Youth Baseball, 9:15 adjourn.

The hearings will continue tomorrow and on Wednesday evening, both nights beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Tuesday’s agenda includes discussion of the City Department’s budgets and Wednesday’s agenda includes the discussion of Carthage Water & Electric Plant budget and the discussion and perfection of the Annual Operating and Capital Budget.

The City of Carthage Fiscal Year 2009 begins on July 1, 2008.

Carthage Artists Attend Capitol Art Event.

Carthage artists Helen, Russell and Graham Ryan along with numerous regional artists attended the annual Artist’s Day event at the Capitol Building in Jefferson City last week. The event was sponsored by Missouri Representative Steve Hunter as a means of calling attention the importance of art in Southwest Missouri.

The event included an art showcase as well as an opportunity for the artists to meet the members of the Missouri House of Representatives, take a tour of the Capitol building and a chance to speak with legislators and visitors from around the state.

Mornin'

When I was growin’ up we got two channels on TV. The third channel was always there, but usually it only could be seen at night or on a cloudy day.

We had an antenna up on a pole that was aimed at the city some thirty miles away that the stations broadcast from, but it never seemed to be aimed just right.

We had a very sophisticated adjustment procedure. The bed room window down, bedroom door open, my brother or I standing in the hall and mom gauging the efforts in front of the TV.

Then the real battle, the "fine tuning" came into play. With one hand behind the set, and nothin’ more than a nose in front, tryin’ to stop the rollin’, Dad would eventually end up proppin’ a mirror in front of the set and make adjustments

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

This Is A Hammer
By Samantha Mazzotta

Air Conditioners Keep Cool in the Shade

Q: My neighbor told me that I should cut back the trees and bushes around my central air unit because they could damage it. I have always heard that AC units should be well-shaded from the sun to prevent damage, and trees are the best natural shade. What do you say? -- Tracy D., Tampa, Fla.

A: I say you’re both right -- but the devil is in the details.

Your outside cooling unit -- typical for central air conditioning -- works best when it doesn’t have to labor against the direct heat of a hot summer sun. Putting walls and a roof around the unit is impractical and can cause the it to overheat (in addition to other venting issues), so sitting outside is optimum.

Because of this, you’re right -- trees and shrubbery can create the best shade, allowing air to flow around the unit while blocking the direct rays of the sun.

However, an air conditioning unit has several vents and intakes built into it. Outdoor units can handle temporary issues like rain. But when solid objects get through the vents, big problems can occur. The most common problem with outdoor units is caused by leaves, twigs or related debris getting inside the unit and damaging moving parts. So, with that in mind, your neighbor is right.

How can you compromise between these two opposites? Keep the trees and shrubs, but prune the shrubs well back from the air conditioning unit -- about 6 inches to a foot -- and have a tree-trimming service thin out the branches of the surrounding shade trees (normal tree maintenance should be fine).

Three to four times a year -- or once a month if you’re using the air conditioning every day for a prolonged period -- check the outside unit and clear away fallen leaves, cobwebs and other debris from the top and sides (turn the unit off before doing this).

HOME TIP: Central air conditioning units need good airflow to work properly, but also need to be shaded from the sun.