The City Council Public Works Committee voted 3-1 Tuesday to recommend a last minute amendment to the proposed 2000/2001 budget. The amendment would apply all $106,000 received from insurance for the recently burned Street Department maintenance building toward the construction of a replacement structure.

The budget proposed by the Budget/Ways and Means Committee is scheduled for final reading at next Tuesday’s regular Council meeting. It earmarks only $42,000 for the maintenance building this year with the rest to be financed with a lease agreement over five years. The building is estimated to cost about $175,000 to rebuild.

Committee member H.J. Johnson, who voiced opposition to the lease agreement during budget hearings, moved for the recommendation. Members Charlie Bastin and Jim McPheeters voted for the amendment. Committee Chair Bill Fortune, who is also a member of the Budget Committee, voted against.

The Public Works Committee oversees the Street and Engineering Departments.

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

Dear Editor,

Just a few comments on last Tuesdays Council meeting.

Roses to J.D. and the other council members that voted to keep Memorial Hall open for a storm shelter.

Raspberries to the rest of the council.

A comment was made that the only people that used it were from Webb City and people that lived in trailer parks. So I guess it is ok if they get blown away in a storm, if it will save a few dollars for Carthage. I think someone mentioned they should find shelter closer to where they lived. If they could why would they drive all the way to Carthage?

With all the money they are going to save maybe they might want to paint more signs on water towers or maybe hire an assistant manager to help the manager run the Memorial Hall or how about a new double decker English bus to get the overflow from the first bus that is always full. Those last few lines are in response to a comment from a council member that said they hated to waste taxpayers money, gee, you could have fooled me.

Rudy J. Mueller

Carthage, MO

Precious Moments Week Activities.

news release

Numerous activities are planned for Precious Moments Week 2000, set for Sunday, June 25 through Saturday, July 1.

Festivities kick off with Children’s Day set for Sunday, June 25. All children, age 16 and under, receive free passes to the Fountain of Angels show. A special Children’s Chapel Tour will be given at 12 noon, 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

A Precious Moments "Look-Alike" Contest will be held also that day for boys and girls. Categories include three age divisions of age 4,5 and 6. Dress is casual for the contest. Registration will be held from noon to 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, with the contest beginning at 2 p.m. All contestants will receive a prize. Winners will receive a trophy, a small Precious Moments stuffed animal, and a winner’s certificate.

Starting Monday, June 26 and throughout the week until Saturday, July 1, daily activities include special seminars held in the Visitors’ Center. Seminar topics include: gardening, gift-giving ideas, home decorating, Precious Moments musical groups will also perform daily. Special activities for the children are planned and include story time, an activities table and Chapel tours.

For this special celebration, Precious Moments artist and creator, Sam Butcher, will be painting in the Chapel at various times on Mon., through Wed., June 26 through June 28. The public is invited to observe the artist at work as he puts the finishing touches on his famous mural, "Hallelujah Square."

Butcher will also host a free public signing on Saturday, July 1. Passes will be available on a first-come, first served basis beginning at 7 a.m., July 1, in the Visitors’ Center. Signing begins at 9 a.m. There is a limit of one item to be signed per person.

For more information about Precious Moments Week or the Chapel Center, call 1-800-543-7975 or check out the web site at www.preciousmoments.com

There is a theory presented in a book I was browsin’ through that says if ya want a new couch, throw out your old one and just leave the space empty. Eventually, some way or another, the couch will be replaced.

The person promotin’ this theory seemed to imply that there was some mystical reason for this. I’m suspectin’ that the practical answer may be closer to the fact that after a while, even havin’ your old couch back starts lookin’ better after a while.

In my experience, if ya got an empty shelf, somethin’ will eventually be put on it. Just a matter of time. Nothin’ mystical, just more stuff than ya have places to stick it.

‘Course you can have less stuff or more shelves. But, who ever has enough shelves?

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Dear Tom and Ray,

Hey guys, I like your column. But I have a question about Tom’s suggestion of using "Reverse" gear in a manual transmission car for parking. I’ve heard that if you park your can and leave it in Reverse, you could run down your car’s battery because you are activating the "backup light switch" even though the car is turned off and the key is out. Is this true? And can this happen? - Eric

RAY: Eric, if I ever decided to open an ice-cube franchise at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, you’d be just the kind of customer I’d be looking for!

TOM: You’re right that when you put the car in Reverse, you do activate the backup light switch. And if you leave the car in Reverse, the switch remains in the "on" position. But once you turn off the ignition switch, the electricity stops flowing.

RAY: Power from the battery flows through the ignition switch to almost all of the car’s accessories. So when the ignition switch is off, the battery cannot be drained by those things.

TOM: There are a few notable exceptions: the parking lights, brake lights, headlights (on many cars) and the interior lights (like the dome light) are not affected by the ignition switch. But the backup lights, like the windshield wipers, air conditioner and engine’s ignition system itself, all cease to get power once the key is in the "off" position.

RAY: So leave your manual-transmission car in Reverse when you park. No harm will be done, and no battery power will be drained. And with very few exceptions, Reverse’s high gear ratio will do the best job of keeping the car from rolling should the hand brake unexpectedly fail.