Today's Feature

Giett Sworn In.

Carthage City Council met Tuesday evening in a regular session. It was the Carthage High School’s Student Government Day and a number of students (listed in Tuesday’s Mornin’ Mail) sat in with Council members and City officials and helped conduct the meeting.

Council approved the Mayor’s appointment of Scott Giett to take the place of resigned Ward I Council member Larry Ross. Giett was sworn in following the approval.

Several items were approved including an ordinance authorizing an agreement between the City and County Collector Stephen Holt for the collection of City property tax collection. Council also approved an ordinance entering into an agreement with the Adult Softball Program for the use of Hallam Field in Municipal Park. There were no items of new business on the agenda.

Council also approved by voice vote a motion to accept a re-appropriation of Carthage Police Department funds for the purchase of Department issued handguns for new officers, and a motion approving a $30 fee per television drop-off at the upcoming electronic waste receptacle to be located at the Carthage landfill.

Mornin’

I’ve always tended to side with nature. I haven’t seen anything yet with the same ability to adapt and survive.

Now I’m not what most would call a nature freak. I don’t go ‘round talkin’ to the lawn tryin’ to make it grow better, and I don’t imagine corn cryin’ out when it comes to harvesting time. I just have a healthy respect for things that nature puts out that beat anything man has come up with.

Like margarine’s battle with butter, cheese food’s battle with real cheese, and all those "better than the real thing" promises we hear ‘bout.

I suppose that what some call the battle with nature comes from the fact that we have always felt uneasy with the fact that it was somethin’ we didn’t have much control over.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Click & Clack Talk Cars
By Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

There is a fluffy white/blue deposit at the base of the positive-terminal post of my battery. The service manager’s explanation is: This is perfectly normal for a sealed battery. When a battery is charged, gas escapes from a small gap between the post and the battery case and forms the deposit. The service manager recommended "corrosion treatment" for about $20. Are all batteries designed this way? Is this corrosion treatment worth it?- Art

RAY: We see a lot of batteries with a little bit of corrosion at the terminals. But if there’s a lot of buildup there, it could signal a problem.

TOM: Right. Batteries and charging systems that are functioning properly don’t create mountains of whitish-blue crud on battery terminals.

RAY: So you could pay this guy $20 to take care of it for you. Or, if you prefer, you can clean it up yourself. You just mix up a cupful of baking soda and water, to the consistency of watery pancake batter.

TOM: Then slather it all over the terminals. It attacks the corrosion, and then you wash it all off with a hose or a bucket of water.

RAY: We also use a spray you can buy at an auto-parts store that coats the clean terminals and prevents the corrosion from coming back - kind of.

TOM: If there’s something wrong with your battery or charging system, the corrosion will come back despite the spray. So, then you’ll need to investigate.

RAY: The most likely culprit is an alternator that overcharging - like we do all the time at the shop - and causing your battery to out-gas.

TOM: So, Art, I’d clean off the terminals, re-secure the connections and then keep an eye on it. And if the stuff comes back in a couple of months, put the 20 bucks you saved toward a complete charging-system check.