Building Codes Discussed.

The City Council Public Works Committee is scheduled to review the proposed ordinance to adopt the International Building Code and Maintenance Code/2000 at this afternoon’s regular meeting in City Hall at 4 p.m. The first reading of the ordinance was postponed during the last Council meeting after several property owners in attendance questioned some provisions of the new code.

A flyer calling for support in defeating the ordinance has been distributed in the community by a group calling itself the Carthage Property Owners Association.

The flyer states that "The leadership of the town lacks compassion for the poor and feels that the property owners of our town should provide housing only to the elite of the city." According to the flyer Earnie Vaile and Carey Murphy are cofounders of the group and "between the two of us we have extensive political and legal experience." Both Vaile and Murphy spoke against the ordinance during the last Council meeting.

A citizen’s participation period is always scheduled for Public Works Committee meetings.

I’ve learned not to take it personal.

Bein’ associated with newspaper types, it’s not unusual that my unexpected presence brings an involved discussion to a halt. ‘Course the main thing I’ve learned is that there are some things that are just none a my business. Believe it or not, there are some things that I just don’t really want ta know.

If you’ve ever sat through a detailed epic of your nephew’s bout with car sickness on the way to the Thanksgivin’ dinner your tryin’ to eat, you understand what I mean. It’s all real interestin’, but ya really don’t want to hear about it right now. Maybe later, after a little nap. Maybe then I’ll be up to defendin’ myself with a story or two of my own.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing Services

PRIME TIME WITH KIDS

by Donna Erickson

Set aside special time with your kids and join in for some messy fun putting paint to paper without a paintbrush. Everyone will delight in the process as you experiment with innovative materials for making prints. When your project is complete and the paint is dry, let your kids sign their favorite and display it on the family bulletin board or on the refrigerator door. Use the extra beauties for gift wrap, greeting cards and for covers for trinket boxes or to protect favorite storybooks and school textbooks.

Spread lots of newspaper on a table, cover the kids with old painting shirts and gather the supplies for the project you choose. Print on construction paper, recycled plain paper bags cut open, butcher paper, index cards for making postcards or recipe cards, sturdy writing paper and envelopes.

Rolling-pin prints:

Find an old rolling pin at a garage sale or from your kids’ toy box if they don’t play with it anymore. Wind household string tightly around the rolling pin. The rounds of string may be close or far apart. Glue the string ends in place. Let dry.

Pour thick poster paint into an aluminum tray that is large enough for dipping and coating the string on the rolling pin. Make a print by rolling the rolling pin on the paper. For a variation, glue string in geometric or squiggly shapes on the rolling pin or on a block of wood.

More printing objects to try:

• sponges cut in interesting shapes

• cookie cutters

• keys, bolts and corks

• leaves and ferns

• lace

• your fingers, hands and feet!