Condemnation Considered.

The City Council will hear first reading of Council bill 00-77 Tuesday evening in City Hall. The bill declares "a public necessity for acquisition by condemnation proceedings of real estate in Jasper County to be used for a Carthage Municipal Airport."

The council bill was placed on the agenda with a vote of the Council in closed session two weeks ago. The Council split the vote at 5-5 and Mayor Kenneth Johnson broke the tie in favor. A vote on the bill isn’t expected until the regular second reading in two weeks.

The Council will also see the first reading of a modification of the current ordinance pertaining to chickens and other foul kept in the City limits. The Public Safety Committee is recommending change the distance any coop or pen from the current 25 feet to 250 feet from any neighboring home, church or school.

A change in the current weed ordinance will come to the Council without a Committee recommendation. The Public Safety Committee voted 2-2 on the recommended changes that would shorten time for compliance and the allowed height of weeds.

Don’t know if many knew about it, but a tv crew from Portland, Oregon out gettin’ some footage to show the folks up in that part of the woods. They worked up the Courthouse pretty good, went out to the 66 Drive-In and some other notable spots around town. They also met a few of the locals and interviewed one or two down at the Daylight Donut shop/bus station on Wednesday mornin.’

They are travelin’ from Portland down to Florida on a bus and documentin’ the trip. They will air the results over a five day period durin’ their evenin’ newscast sometime in November. May even put together a documentary of the excursion.

From the reaction I saw, Carthage should get a pretty good showin’. Might even stir up a tourist or two.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Workman's Loan

PRIME TIME WITH KIDS

by Donna Erickson

Spending time with grandparents is not only fun for our children, but the intergenerational contact offers a sense of continuity and belonging beyond the immediate family. Think for a moment of times spent with your own grandparents and the happiness, wisdom and life skills you gained.

Learning to tie a fishing lure or to knead Swedish sweetbread laced with hand-crushed cardamom seed, writing a poem for the first time, playing Scrabble and memorizing obscure words no one else knows, these are the lessons and memories grandparents provide.

Whether grandparents live next door or miles away, here are some fun ideas to create traditions and build the grandchild-grandparent bond.

• Make a point of talking frequently about your child’s grandparents. Telling about an adventure when Mom was young and drove the car for the first time with Grandpa creates vivid images for children.

• Include grandparents on weekend trips or summer vacation plans when the schedule and accommodations are suitable. Relaxed days at the seashore or by a lake provide opportunities for a grandparent to spend time alone with each grandchild. It could be as simple as playing a board game, taking a walk to collect and classify colorful fall leaves or going into town to see a movie together.

• Send grandparents artwork, photos, copies of special school assignments, jokes and riddles in the mail. If your family and the grandparents have home offices with fax machines and computers, stay in touch using modern technology.