Compensation To Be Considered.

The City Council Public Safety Committee has asked City Administrator Tom Short to begin gathering current comparisons of area police and fire personnel compensation and benefit packages. The Committee made the request during its regular monthly meeting last Monday evening.

The City currently bases its salary levels on a personnel study completed in 1997. Since that time State requirements for police officers has increased dramatically and is beginning to affect the number of qualified applicants.

Police Chief Dennis Veach told the Committee that so far the Department has been fortunate to find what it considers to be qualified personnel, but it is becoming more and more difficult. Veach said he not only has to compete with other law enforcement agencies for recruits, but also has to compete with traditional business operations that are also looking for good employees.

Fire Chief John Cooper asked that fire fighter compensation also be included in the comparisons. He said he felt the Fire Department was also facing a similar future.

Don’t know if ya made it downtown ta see the fifty some English automobiles displayed on the Square last weekend, but car enthusiasts seemed to enjoy the show.

Accordin’ to organizers of the production, there were ‘bout a hunderd and fifty folks that came ta town, stayed in ‘bout fifty motel rooms and booked the Kendrick Place for a catered super. Plans are to have the group back next year.

If ya consider each automobile as representin’ a "family" and use the rule a thumb that an over night stay equals ‘bout $300 left in the City, that means that this fairly small gatherin’ generated somewhere around $15,000 in business for the community, generated a decent amount of sales tax, and lodgin’ tax. Not a bad day.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Carthage Printing Services

by Donna Erickson

Crayons are still one of the basics when it comes to back-to-school supplies. It’s no secret that kids love their new boxes full of colorful crayons with sharp points, but there’s no reason to throw out last year’s worn-down stubs. Use them to create these fun, new, activities.

* Batik Book Cover: Batik is a wax-resistant dyeing process used to make beautiful fabrics and works of art. You can create colorful sheets of paper with a similar look.

Apply heavy layers of crayon on a large sheet of sturdy white paper or on a plain brown paper grocery bag which has been cut open.

Make patches and squares in different colors, covering the paper completely. Then crumple the paper in a ball, open it carefully and you will see cracks created in the designs. Flatten the paper and brush on dark-colored watercolor.

Rinse or blot the paper with water to restore crayon color. The watercolor paint will remain in the cracks, creating batik-like lines. Let dry. Use to cover schoolbooks, notebooks or a pocket dictionary.

* Antique Gift Boxes: Make a colorful storage box for markers, pencils, and other desk supplies.

Draw heavy crayon layers on a sturdy white gift box (boxes with textured surfaces work great). Geometric shapes, swirls and patches of color look especially nice. When the box is colored, brush or dab black poster paint over a small area of the box.

Wipe paint off immediately and polish that area with a soft cloth. Repeat until entire box is completed.