Parking "Test" On Council Agenda.

The City Council is scheduled to meet in City Hall at 7:30 this evening for their regular meeting.

The agenda includes the first reading of Council bill 09-62 which would temporarily repeal section 23-424 of the City Code which deals with the two-hour parking restriction on and around the Square. The repeal would begin at 12 a.m. on January 2, 2010, and be in effect through February 28, 2010. On March 1, 2010 section 23-424 would automatically be re-enacted without any action by the Council.

The temporary repeal was submitted to the Council by the Public Safety Committee and comes with at 3-1 vote in committee. Police Chief Greg Dagnan requested that a time limit be placed on the repeal to make sure the Council had to stop and consider the effect of the test on the downtown area before making it more permanent.

Council member Diane Sharits told the Committee that removing the restriction would be "disastrous" for the Square.

Photos of the activity on the Square yesterday morning (see today's pdf) between the hours of 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. illustrate the concerns about congestion brought to the attention of the Committee and the full Council by H.J. Johnson, the proprietor of this paper.

As a Council bill, the action will require at least six votes to be enacted, as required by the City Code.

Two Council members, Sharits and T.J. Teed have spoke out against the repeal. Public Safety Committee Chair Bill Welch voted against the proposal in committee saying that he felt there should be some exceptions to the blanket repeal. If the three votes for the ordinance from the Committee vote hold, and the three against hold, that would mean that it would take only two other Council votes to kill the issue (resulting in a 5-5 vote, short of the six required), but three to pass it. The six vote requirement means that there is never a tie vote on any ordinance, and therefore the Mayor never has a vote on an ordinance. The Mayor does break ties for resolutions and other votes on routine business discussions handled by the Council.

Sometimes technology is really scary.

I was walkin’ up to a convenience store the other day and I heard this voice.

"Attention. This car is backing up!"

At first I thought it was the gas pump talkin’ to me. They’ve scared me a few times too, but the sound was closer than that.

Then I realized I was behind a large van that was creeping toward me. How’d it know?

After gettin’ out a the way, I’m figurin’ the thing just automatically does that when the backup lights come on, but maybe there is a tiny camera watchin’ out for us pedestrians, makin’ sure we don’t end up in harms way. Either way, in this instance it worked, however it works.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Basketball Season Here, So Is Jumper’s Knee

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I play basketball -- a lot. My right knee has started to hurt. It hurts the most when I start to play, and then it eases off. My coach and dad say it is jumper’s knee. My coach says to play through it. My dad says I should rest it. What do you say? -- B.J.

ANSWER: Give me a break. What do you think I’m going to say? I side with your dad.

At the start of every basketball season, I get many letters asking about jumper’s knee. It’s a common malady of that sport, but it affects players in many other sports, like volleyball. The forces on the knees and the knee tendons when a jumper lands on the ground can be greater than nine times body weight. That’s a great deal of force.

Jumper’s knee is an inflammation of the tendon that runs from the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the lower leg bone. The inflammation comes from too much use with too little rest. It gradually builds up over two to three weeks before a player starts to complain. Early on, the knee hurts the most when a player starts to move around and gradually lessens as he or she continues to play. If you don’t let the inflammation quiet down, the pain will worsen and last longer. At its worst, it is present even when you’re sitting.

If you press on the area beneath the kneecap, you’ll find it is tender if you have jumper’s knee. A week or two of rest is all that’s needed in the early phases. Combining rest with Aleve, Advil or Motrin can speed the healing.

When you get back to playing, apply heat to the knee for 10 or 15 minutes before you start. After you play, ice it for the same amount of time.

I respect both your dad’s and your coach’s diagnostic abilities, but, if things don’t turn around shortly, I’d have a doctor examine your knee. Too many other things cause similar pain.