New Council and Mayor Seated.

Newly elected Council members and a new Mayor were sworn in during last Tuesday’s regular Council meeting in City Hall.

Long time Council member Mike Harris took his position at the head of Council Chambers to begin his first term as Mayor of Carthage. Harris has gained some experience at the post by serving as Mayor Pro-Tem in the past.

Encumbent Council members Claude Newport, John Studebaker, T.J. Teed, and Brent Grenninger took the oath along with newly elected write-in candidate Charlie Bastin. A representative will be nominated by Mayor Harris to fill a Fourth Ward unoccupied seat.

Council members and staff spoke of their appreciation for the four years of service given by former Mayor Jim Woestman, and his five years on the City Council. They also spoke of colleg Larry Ross who did not run for office this year. Ross has served on the Council for many years and a plaque was presented to Ross noting his times of service to the City.

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Year of Harvick?

All things considered, this could be the year Kevin Harvick has been awaiting.

Harvick, 34, replaced Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing after Earnhardt’s death in the Daytona 500 in 2001. He won his first (now) Sprint Cup race in his third try. He has won the Nationwide Series championship twice. He was Raybestos Rookie of the Year in both Nationwide and Cup.

But Harvick hasn’t actually won at the Sprint Cup level since the 2007 Daytona 500.

"It’s been a decent start to the year, for sure," he said. "Obviously, we’ve had a couple of chances to win and haven’t quite gotten that done, but the guys are doing a great job."

Decent start, huh?

Harvick led the Cup point standings for four straight races, though he fell to fourth after a subpar showing at Martinsville. He and wife DeLana run Kevin Harvick Inc., which is near the head of the class in the Camping World Truck and Nationwide series. Ron Hornaday drove one of the Kevin Harvick Inc. entries to the Truck championship last year.

Everything seems to be coming up roses for the Bakersfield, Calif., native, who manages to have fun in spite of business obligations.

"I think having fun -- and running well -- is something that eases your mind on everything else," said Harvick, "and there is just no pressure when you are racing in Nationwide or the Truck series. You can go and really push the limits, and find those limits, and do things you normally wouldn’t do just because there’s really nothing at stake.

"It’s fun. It eases my mind. It lets me relax. Some people would rather relax by not doing anything. For me, I’m at the track. I would rather be in a vehicle on the race track because I feel like there is always something you can learn. It’s just a matter of approach as to how you relax, and that’s how I like to relax."

Some things just sound worse than they really are.

I’ve know some folks who live in pink houses, and they weren’t what I’d call unusual in any way. After a while ya even forget they live in a pink house. You even use it to your advantage from time to time. Givin’ directions is a lot easier when you can use the pink house as a reference. "Just past the pink house and turn left" leaves little doubt as to where to turn.

I’ve even had the occasion to see a pink house or two that was unusually attractive. I really don’t dislike ‘em, just never thought about paintin’ my own residence pink. Maybe if I thought of it as rose colored it would be more of a consideration.

What really matters of course is the eye of the beholder.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

I stopped at a "Quickie Lube"-type joint the other day and asked them what type of oil they use in their least-expensive oil-change service. The answer was "remanufactured oil." I left, because I’d never heard the term before. What is it? - Jim

Ray: Oh, that’s when they drain the oil out of the Subaru in one bay, and pipe it, through a hose, right into your car.

Tom: Actually, the correct term is "re-refined oil." Technically speaking, it’s used oil that has been re-refined, so it can be used again.

Ray: The people who promote re-refined oil claim that the oil itself never wears out: it just gets dirty. And if you clean it, then add back in the additives that got used up, the stuff is as good as new.

Tom: But is it? Well, the American Petroleum Institute say it can be. It depends on how well it’s re-refined.

Ray: When it’s done correctly, the process is very similar to the way they refine oil from curde in the first place. It involves vacuum distillation to remove dirt, water and used additives, and then hydro-treatments to remove any remaining chemical contaminants. Then a new package of additives, like rust inhibitors, is blended in.

Tom And if it’s tested, and it meets the same requirements that new oil has to meet for qualities like cold-start viscosity, engine wear and rust protection, it earns the API seal of appoval.Ray: So the proper question for the "Pokey Lube" people is not "Do you use re-refined oil?" It’s "Is your re-refined oil API certified?"

Ray: So it sounds like it’s something we’re going to see more of, Jim. But its important to check for proper certification.