Truck Gets Repairs-Police Get Gas.

Fire Chief John Cooper reported to the Public Safety Committee last Monday evening that damage to Fire Engine 612 may not be as bad as initially thought. The damage, caused by a civilian vehicle sliding into the parked truck on north Garrison, did not severely damage the water pump as originally thought. Repairs to the pump and body damage are still estimated to cost about $11,000. If the pump had been destroyed, repairs may have been as high as $35,000. Cooper estimated, the engine should be back in service in a week or two.

The Committee voted to recommend that the Council allow the Farmers Market, sponsored by Main Street Carthage, to operate from April through October 2000.

The Committee also asked that Chair Charlie Bastin officially notify the Council that Police services will not be hampered by gas price increases. Police Chief Dennis Veach reported that his expenditures for fuel may run approximately $3,000 over budget by the end of the fiscal year. City Administrator Tom Short noted that the overall Police Department budget should be able to absorb the fuel overrun.

The Public Safety Committee voted Monday evening to recommend to the Council that an application for a grant be submitted to the State for what would be called a School Resource Officer. If approved, the funding for the officer’s salary, who would be assigned to the High School and Junior High School, would be split three ways by the City, State, and the R-9 School District.

Chief Veach thinks the additional personnel would relieve officers on regular duty from time consuming reports and investigation of minor incidents that occur around and in the schools.

The position would depend on approval of the full Council, the School Board, and of course the State grant. The officer would be available for more traditional duty durin’ the summer. Any opinions?

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

NEW LOOKS FOR OLD DENIMS

If your kids’ threadbare and outgrown blue jeans are ready for the rag bag, give them a second life. Your school-age kids will have a great time cutting up their loyal denims and creating new uses for the sturdy fabric.

Here are three new and clever ideas:

ADD A SECRET POCKET TO HIGH-TOP CANVAS SHOES.

Cut out the tiny top front pocket of your jeans. Glue three edges of the pocket, leaving the top open to the ankle of a pair of high-top tennis shoes (Aleene’s Flexible Stretchable Fabric Glue works well.) The pocket provides a place to tuck away coins for a phone call or milk money. Your kids may want to glue on more decorative embellishments, such as colorful buttons or pieces of lace. Finish the look with a few squiggles of fabric paint.

MAKE A STORAGE POCKET ON A THREE-RING BINDER.

Cut out the large hip pocket around the top stitching to keep both layers of denim intact. Use stretchable fabric glue or adhesive-backed interfacing to attach the pocket to the front of a traditional fabric-covered three-ring binder. The pocket will provide a handy place to store pencils and pens.

SEW A THROW PILLOW.

Let your teenager measure and cut out an 18-inch x 18-inch square from the front of a worn-out sports T-shirt, making sure the logo of his/her favorite team is centered. Sew together several rectangular strips of denim (without holes) to make a single piece the same dimensions as the square.

Pin the two squares with right sides together. Stitch a 1/2-inch seam around the edges, leaving an 8-inch opening. Turn right side out, press, slip pillow form inside, and handstitch closed.