The proposed Jasper County food service sanitation ordinance prompted one of the most well attended City Public Works Committee meetings in recent history last Tuesday afternoon.

County Health Department Sanitarian John Callison was at the meeting to answer questions and clarify the intent of the regulations to the Committee. Committee Chair Bill Fortune opened the meeting to questions by Committee and Council persons first, and then to the audience of representatives and owners of local restaurants.

One owner said that it was his understanding that the City of Carthage was pushing for the ordinance. City Engineering Department Director Joe Butler told the audience and Committee that the City had a minor role in the ordinance. Callison stated that it was a County ordinance, not a Carthage ordinance. The County currently uses the 1999 Missouri Food Code regulations. The proposed ordinance would have additional specific County regulations.

The proposed ordinance will be discussed during this morning’s County Commissioner meeting at 9 a.m. in the Courthouse.

Letters to the Editor
Opinions expressed reflect those of the writer
and not necessarily those of the Mornin' Mail.

Mr. Johnson,

In regards to the City Council Public Works Committee meeting held Tuesday, July 18 to discuss the proposed ordinance by the Jasper County Food Service Sanitation Department, I would like to offer a few comments.

First, I want to thank you for mentioning the meeting in the "Mornin’ Mail." Otherwise, my sister and I would not have known of the meeting or the ordinance.

My sister and I own the Breakfast Factory and have been in business just under two months. We attended the meeting mostly for informational purposes. We wanted to go in with an open mind.

After much discussion and contemplation, we believe the proposed ordinance leaves too many areas gray. To be able to follow an ordinance a restaurant owner needs specifics. There is no doubt in my mind that the areas that are left gray will be the problem areas with most establishments. Also, we believe that charging for inspections would be bogus. This is something that the Jasper County tax payers pay for already.

It is my hope that the Jasper County Commission take a close look at this proposal and decide to strike it down.

Sincerely,
Cassandra Sleeves

Dear Editor,

On behalf of Carthage restaurant owners, this response is offered as a public comment requested by the Jasper County Commissioners on the subject of a proposed county food service ordinance as it would apply to Carthage.

To do it right, and to be fair to taxpayers, as well as restaurant owners, in my opinion, such a proposal should include regular inspections of all soup kitchens, school lunchrooms and kitchens, church kitchens, ethnic open air food locations, all food vendors at public auctions & festivals, all backyard food preparation areas and all business establishments and offices where hot and cold liquids and snacks are offered for human consumption.

Richard Ferguson

Red Cross Swim Program.

news release Red Cross

The Carthage office of the American Red Cross, located in the Family Neighborhood Center at 706 Orchard, continues to serve the community as it has since 1916.

Several air conditioners are still available for loan to the elderly, disabled or those with medical problems.

This year the Red Cross was very pleased to be awarded monies from the Jasper County Association of Social Services to purchase 5 new air conditioners. It is with the help of groups like this that enables the Red Cross to meet the needs of many local citizens.

Due to unavoidable circumstances the Red Cross Swim Program was not available earlier this summer, however there is still time to enroll for a session which will begin July 31 at Carthage’s Municipal Pool. Each session will offer 7 different levels of instruction and run Monday through Thursday for 2 weeks with Jon Sykes as the instructor. Cost will be $20 per student and Red Cross certificates will be issued to those who pass the course.

This swim program is appropriate for everyone, including adults. All seven courses are designed to help students learn to swim or improve their swimming skills with new strokes, stroke refinements, diving safety tips and techniques, and more. Courses are divided into levels to fit the individual needs of each participant.

Since 1914 the Red Cross has been the leader in aquatic education for people of all ages and abilities. All instructors are trained and highly qualified professionals, meeting internationally recognized standards of excellence.

The Red Cross also offers CPR, Baby-sitting Training, HIV Education and Disaster Training. Please call the Red Cross Office (358-4334) for more information or to set up a class to fit your needs.

If ya want to see some folks gettin’ a little riled ya might want to attend the County Commissioners meetin’ this mornin’. The proposed food service sanitation ordinance will no doubt bring out some against the regulations.

To the Commission’s credit, they did delay any action on the proposal for a month or so ta let folks take a look and give their opinions. Looks like they got some.

At the meetin’ the other night, most of those in attendance were small operations with owner/operators. None of the bigger operations. I’m guessin’ these are the businesses that more regulations will affect the most. There will be some negotiatin’ I’d suspect ‘fore this gets on the books. ‘Course some aren’t in the negotiation mood. There’s definitely some heat in the kitchen.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

The first car I drove in 1978 was a Saab with a two-stroke, slant-three engine. Friends jested that this was a lawnmower engine, because I had to add a quart of oil to the gas tank every time I filled it up. I took their remarks as a great insult ... to my lawnmower, which is a very nice machine.

Do two-stroke engines exist on the planet anymore? My father still owns this masterpiece. Would you guys refuse to work on it if it rolled into your shop? And most important, what kind of prayer would you recommend before shooting it between the headlights? -Bill

TOM: There are tons of two-stroke engines around these days, Bill. They’re in just about every chain saw, weed whacker, snowmobile and gas-powered nose-hair clipper on the planet. But they’re not used in cars much these days, at least not in the United States.

RAY: Two-stroke engines have great advantages. Because every other stroke is a powers stroke ( as opposed to every fourth stroke in a common, four cylinder car engine), two-cycle engines provide a lot of power and torque in a very small size. That’s why chainsaws use them. Do you think Lenny the Lumberjack wants to schlep a 25-pound four-cycle engine halfway up a spruce tree? I should say not!

TOM: Plus, two strokes have the added advantage of being able to be used upside down, since they don’t have oil-filled crankcases. So as Lenny is falling backwards out of the tree, he can still prune a few limbs on his way down.

RAY: The problem with the old two-cycle engines is that they ran very inefficiently and created a lot of pollution.