Last Meet of the Year.

The Carthage City Council met last Friday afternoon in City Hall due to Christmas falling on their regular Tuesday date. It was the final meeting for the year 2001.

The relatively short meeting, lasting less than an hour, was attended by eight of the ten Council members. Tobrock and Boyer were absent.

The Council voted 8-0 to renew the lease agreement with Melvin Abbiatti for the roller rink located in Muni Park. During the Citizens Participation period, the issue of the condition of the rest rooms at the rink was approached. Mayor Johnson told the lady asking who’s responsibility it was that the situation would be taken care of.

The Council also voted 8-0 to authorize a contract to purchase for $10,000 property owned by Larry L. Allen at 116-118 Third Street. The property was condemned by the City earlier in the year. It is estimated that it will cost up to $50,000 to take the buildings down.

The Council also heard the first reading of a Council bill adjusting the budget to allocate $10,000 to Main Street Carthage for advertising and promotion.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin
State Representative, District 126

Thinks are starting to shake out from the recent release of the new redistricting maps. As I mentioned in last week’s column, the new boundaries for House and Senate districts were released. The new boundaries eventually had to be redrawn by a panel of judges after the citizens commission failed to meet the August 28 deadline for redrawing them.

Down in our area of southwest Missouri, we are in the middle of three Senate districts. The 32nd district consists of Jasper, Newton, and Dade counties. The 28th district consists of Barton, Cedar, Polk, Dallas, Benton, Hickory, St. Clair, Henry, and Pettis counties. The 31st district consists of Vernon, Bates, Cass, and Johnson counties. The 28th and 32nd districts will elect a senator in 2002 and the 31st district will elect a senator in 2004.

Obviously, I live in Barton county and thus in the 28th district. My old House district spanned Vernon, Barton, and Jasper counties, with the majority of the people living in Jasper county.

It would be tough for me to run in the 28th district since it goes into so many new counties that are so far away from where I live. Having represented so much of Jasper county in the House of Representatives, that is where I am most well known.

Because of state laws concerning redistricting years and the late release of the maps, I thought I could possibly run in the 32nd district as long as I move into that district.

I asked the Secretary of State’s office if that was indeed the case. After several phone calls, it was eventually determined that I am eligible to run in either the 28th or 32nd district.

I am going to have to do some serious thinking between now and when filing opens in a couple months.

While it would be unusual not to live in the district I would be running in, there are more of my current constituents living in the 32nd district than in the 28th district. I guess the bottom line will be like it should be in all elections. The citizens should have the final say.

As usual, I can be reached at House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101 or 1-800-878-7126, or mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions, comments, or advice.

Nascar to the Max

Though Roger Penske has disbanded his number 12 team, he has decided to transfer the number to the car to be driven next year by rookie Ryan Newman. Newman originally was scheduled to drive a car numbered 02. By using the number 12, Penske will be able to use the owner points earned by Jeremy Mayfield and Mike Wallace in the car last year.

During the first five races of the year, if for some reason qualifying is canceled, the starting field is set based on the previous year’s car owner points. Also, qualifying only sets the top 36 starting positions for the field of 43.

During the first five races, starting positions 36-43 are set based on these same car owner points. The 02 has no owner points from last year and with Newman being a rookie, qualifying in the top 36 will not be an easy task.

2001 Winston Cup Champion, Jeff Gordon, has declined an invitation to participate in the 2002 International Race of Champions (IROC). The IROC is an all-star racing series that consists of races at four different tracks and usually coinciding with NASCAR races. The field consists of twelve drivers from various racing series’ including NASCAR and open wheel series’ Indy Racing League (IRL) and Championship Auto Racing Teams (Cart).

The races are typically short sprints with race distances of 100 miles or less which don’t require pit stops. IROC series cars are all identical Pontiac Firebirds prepared by the sanctioning body itself and run engines reported to be within 3 horsepower of each other.

The races are typically very competitive and tightly packed events. The stock bodied cars favor the Winston Cup drivers. In recent years the Series’ champion has been a NASCAR star which should favor Gordon. Gordon reportedly declined the invitation because of sponsor obligations with his number 24 team as well as the number 48 team which he is part owner.

For the truly serious NASCAR fan, the season opening Daytona 500 is only 49 days away on February 17.

So far it doesn’t look like there will be near the participation in the Council seat races that are up this year. Three of the five incumbents have signed up to run. Boyer 3rd Ward, McPheeters 4th Ward, and Stearnes 5th Ward.

Larry Ross of 1st Ward has announced he will not run for reelection and nobody has yet to step up. Bill Fortune of the 2nd Ward has not made a commitment one way or the other.

‘Course there is still time for some contested races, but last year there was quite a group signed up by this time.

The Mayoral race appears to be the one to watch as the April ballot approaches. Incumbent Mayor Kenneth Johnson will be running against former Council member Lujene Clark.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I am currently stationed on Suwon R.O.K. Airbase, Korea. I purchased a beater, or "hoopdee," as many of us in the military do. It ran great for two and a half months, until a lieutenant borrowed my car. When he returned it ran on only two cylinders. I immediately changed the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, all to no avail. The car does not overheat, so I did not suspect a blown head gasket. All the spark plugs fire, but it still only runs on cylinders one and four. I drove it to Osan Airbase car care center, and they say that it needs a head and valve job. The car is a Chrysler LeBaron turbo. Please give me some advice-Dan (Captain, U.S. Army)

RAY: I advise you not to lend your car to anymore of those lowly lieutenants, Dan.

TOM: When you have two adjacent cylinders (two and three) that aren’t firing, that almost always means that the head gasket has been blown between those two cylinders. That’s a classic symptom.

RAY: So you probably need a head gasket, and you need to have the head machined. And that’s not cheap. How much is it?

TOM: Well, it depends. Are you paying in South Korean won or U.S. dollars?

RAY: In U.S. dollars it would cost you between $500 and $1,000 retail.

TOM: But you don’t have to pay retail, Dan. Remember, you’re a captain! So I’d pull rank on the guy who borrowed your car. Tell Lieutenant Leadfoot that once he finishes latrine duty, he can start practicing his head-gasket-changing-skills... "on that LeBaron, soldier!"