Airport Terminal Demolition.

The Public Works Committee held their bimonthly meeting Tuesday evening in Council Chambers. The agenda included reviewing and discussing bids for the old airport terminal building demolition.

The bids for demolition of the old airport terminal building included two levels, one bid included busting up the slab and hauling it off as part of the demolition and the second bid did not include removal of the slab. The committee discussed the pros and cons of having the slab removed. Committee member Jackie Boyer said she had concerns about leaving the slab on location. She said that she was afraid the "skaters" would find it. Street Commissioner Tom Shelly said that the street department could easily remove the slab if needed. The Committee voted unanimously to recommend to Council that they accept the low bid from C&L for $2,705 and then have the street department take care of the slab.

During discussions committee members ask questions and attempt to make the best possible decisions for the city.

"I like asking the what if questions," said Boyer.

NASCAR to the Max

Before the season began, NASCAR implemented a series of rules that were designed to make the different car makes more aerodynamically equal. Though the different manufacturers still maintain a little flexibility, many templates that the cars are required to fit during pre-race inspection are the same. These common templates were designed to make the racing more competitive and give more teams a chance to win. So far, the plan is working. Sunday’s Virginia 500 in Martinsville, VA marked the ninth race of the season and the ninth different winner.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. dominated several segments of the race and took home the five bonus points for leading the most laps. As the race neared the finish, a blown tire on Ricky Cravens car forced Earnhardt up the track and out of the main racing groove and allowed several cars to pass. Earnhardt never seriously contended again. With less than twenty laps remaining Jeff Gordon was nipping at the heels of race leader Bobby Labonte. With thirteen laps remaining, Gordon lightly nudged Labonte causing Labonte to lift briefly allowing Gordon to pass him for the lead. With less than three laps remaining, separate accidents involving Roush Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch brought out the days 11th and final caution flag and allowed Gordon to claim his first victory of the season under the caution and checkers.

Prior to Sunday’s race, many were aware that it had been 15 races since Gordon had won. There are countless drivers who have longer winless streaks including last season’s point’s champion, Tony Stewart. Gordon, though only in his 11th full season, has amassed 62 wins, ranking him seventh on the all time wins list. Sunday’s win also marked the tenth season in a row Gordon has carded a win. With Gordon claiming seven wins in 2001 and a record tying 13 wins in 1998 (over one-third of the seasons races), it’s no wonder people notice when he hasn’t won in a while.

In keeping with a long standing tradition, the series is idle this week in observance of Easter.

As a kid I played baseball from the time I was six up into high school. Went through several gloves and even inherited my older brother’s steel cleat shoes.

Some of the players on occasion would show up with a bat they owned, but most of us used those supplied by the team. I always picked a small bat and can remember chokin’ up quite a ways on a twenty-nine incher early on.

I never thought of it much at the time, but I never had my own personal bat. The household had a big wood thirty-six inch that was cracked and taped we furnished for sandlot games, but I never considered it for "real" games.

I was always taught it was more important to get on base than to swing a big bat anyway.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

By Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom & Ray:

I live in Savannah, Ga., where the roads are narrow — often two-lane — and run through the woods (trees on either side), AND everyone seems to have a NASCAR mentality. They scare me. My question is: What is the safest car currently known to man (no Humvees, or anything armored, please)? Like a five- or six-seater sedan — any ideas? Thanks. — Robert, Nervous is Dixie.

RAY: Well, in our humble opinion, the safest cars tend to be cars that are parked in their driveways.

TOM: But if you have to venture out, I would say the safest sedans these days are probably the higher-end European cars — the mid- to large-size Mercedes, Volvos, BMWs and Saabs.

RAY: That’s not to say there aren’t other safe cars, but those are certainly among the safest. So a Mercedes E320, Volvo S80, BMW 5 Series or Saab 9-5 would certainly do a good job of protecting you if someone plowed into you or you plowed into a live oak. Or a dead oak, for that matter. They all have good passive safety systems, like multiple air bags, seat-belt pre-tensioners and well-protected passenger cages. All of which, of course, are designed to supplment the best safety feature of all — the good old seat belt, which you must wear.

TOM: If those aren’t your cup of tea or aren’t in your price range, Robert, we have other ideas. One is to buy a 2- or 3-year-old version of one of these cars.

RAY: Or you might want to get on the Web and browse the Crash Test section of http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Look for cars with 5-star crash ratings in all categories.