Garrison Bridges Closed for Week.

The three bridges on North Garrison Street just north of Kendricktown will be closed to all traffic from today through Friday, November 19. The bridges will be closed to traffic during the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. to allow the Street Department to apply sealer to the bridge decks.

According to discussions at previous Public Works Committee meetings, MoDOT uses a material called Indek, which is a type of slurry seal product that is applied to the state bridges to prolong the life of bridges for up to five years. Initially it was thought the city would buy the materials and MoDOT would apply the material but the City was advised that the state auditor would not allow MoDOT to apply the material. The City acquired the bridges from the state several years ago in a trade-off for the state constructing the interchange at 71 and Civil War Road.

The Street Department is going to spread the approximate 440 gallons of slurry with street brooms. The mixture is supposed to seal the concrete and keep any loose particles in place. Drying time is estimated at one hour.

I’m again reminded of the sayin’ that the most critical aspect of any rain dance is timin’.

‘Course the timin’ of when the steps are placed is secondary to when the dance is executed.

I’m suspectin’ that if ya danced enough times, there would have ta be a few that were followed by an adequate amount of precipitation to be considered a success.

Now there are those who would say this isn’t a rain dance at all, just dumb luck.

I suppose the same could be said when a guy in a boat throws a net in the water. The fact is, the more times ya toss the net, the more likely it is that you’ll have enough for a good fish fry when ya hit shore. The trick is ta not sit on the bank waitin’ for somethin’ ta jump in the pan.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

---

Weekly Columns

To Your Good Health

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Delay in Treatment of TIA Is Dangerous

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’ve just hung up the phone after talking to my doctor. He has me scared out of my wits. This morning while reading the newspaper, I couldn’t hold it up. My right arm became weak. In about five minutes, everything returned to normal. I thought I had better call the doctor to see if this was serious.

The doctor thinks I had a ministroke and wants me to have someone take me to the hospital ASAP. I told him I was fine. He said that doesn’t matter. I thought I would drop you a line for your opinion. I trust your judgment. What should I do? -- T.R.

ANSWER: I hope you listened to your doctor. You should do exactly what he told you. You have an emergency on your hands. You most likely had a TIA -- a transient ischemic attack -- a ministroke. Investigation should be taking place as soon as possible -- immediately. A part of your brain lost its blood supply for a short time. Even a brief occurrence like the one you describe can cause permanent brain damage. Worse, it is often the foreboding of a complete stroke.

You have to be checked for a blockage in one of your carotid arteries, the large neck arteries that deliver blood to the brain. You have to be examined for a clot in other body locations like the heart. Pieces of those clots can break loose and be carried to a brain artery, where they stop the flow of blood permanently. Atrial fibrillation, a common heartbeat disturbance, is often responsible for such clots.

Numbness, weakness or both of a hand, arm, leg, side of the face or tongue can be a sign of a TIA. Trouble expressing oneself is another sign. So are disturbances of vision. None lasts long, but they are quite significant and serious warnings.

I don’t have important background information on you. I am counting on your good sense to get you to the hospital quickly.