Shelly told the Committee that due to all the freezing and thawing this winter the streets were going to need more work than normal. Shelly also mentioned that roads south of Fairview were not holding up well.

"The ground just doesn’t hold streets well," said Shelly. "A lot of the problem in my opinion is when a developer starts building houses they pave the road before any houses are built, this creates unnecessary traffic from heavy machinery."

The asphalt bids were presented to Committee. The Committee voted to recommend that the council accept the low bid from Blevins Asphalt Construction Company for $25 per ton laid and 75¢ per gallon of tack oil.

The Committee also discussed the former Airport Terminal Building. According to Shelly it had been broken into again and was becoming difficult to board up. The Committee discussed having it demolished.

NASCAR to the Max

After Friday’s qualifying session, it looked like Texas native Bobby Labonte, having claimed the Pole (First) Position, would be the odds on favorite to win Sunday’s Samsung/RadioShack 500 from Fort Worth, Texas. Labonte’s fortunes were short lived however as he never led a lap and finished in 37th place completing only 260 of the 334 laps.

With the laps winding down, it appeared the outcome would be decided by pit strategy. Many teams were considering just adding one can (11 gallons) of fuel (a car will hold two cans) and changing right side tires. Others were considering taking the extra six or eight seconds to change left side tires as well. Those strategies seemingly became pointless on lap 283 when what proved to be the day’s final caution flag flew for an accident. Ryan Newman, who was leading at the time, went against the conventional wisdom of taking four tires during a caution in favor of taking right sides only in the interest of exiting the pits in first position.

After the race restarted, Newman’s decision seemed to be ill-advised as he was overtaken by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. less than two laps later. With ten laps remaining, Newman had caught back up with Earnhardt, Jr. and retook the lead. Newman extended his lead over the final laps to win by over 30 car lengths and came out looking like a genius for his last pit decision.

The real excitement of the final lap was the bumping and banging between Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon with Earnhardt, Jr. taking second by a banged up fender.

Newman’s win in a Dodge marks the first for the make this year. NASCAR worked over the winter to make the aerodynamics of the four makes as close as they could. After only seven races this season, all four makes have now visited victory lane.

The next stop on the circuit takes place at the series’ longest track, Talladega (AL) Superspeedway. Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammates Earnhardt, Jr. and Michael Waltrip are typically teams to be contended with on the 2.66-mile high-banked oval.

I always have trouble rememberin’ to keep my head down.

I got that advice concernin’ takin’ a capsule. A pill sinks when it’s in water, so ya keep your head up and the pill slides to the bottom of your throat. Makes it easier to swallow.

A capsule, on the other hand, floats in water. If ya keep your head tilted forward, the capsule floats up to the back of your throat, makin’ it easier to swallow.

Like a lotta things, the idea of holdin’ your head down to swallow somethin’ goes against all conventional wisdom and embedded custom, but actually works.

I know there a lotta folks who just like holdin’ their chin up in the air and won’t listen to a little advice that is so personal in nature. Myself, I just can’t remember.

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:

After 12 years of driving bondo-colored bolt buckets with beach towels for upholstery, I finally got a "real" car (one made in the current decade). It’s a 2001 VW Golf, and I want to take care of it. I am also planning a cross-country road trip this summer. Which tools and safety equipment should I keep in the car, both for long-distance and daily driving? — Brian

RAY: Well, a case of ignition coils should be the first thing on your list, Brian. In case you haven’t heard, VWs and Audis have been suffering from sudden ignition-coil failure, and VW finally agreed to recall half a million cars.

TOM: The affected engines are in 2001-2003 models that use individual coil packs for each cylinder — most notably the 1.8T four-cylinder turbo charged engine and the 2.8 liter six, but there are others, too. You can get the full list on our Web site, the Car Talk section of www.cars.com.

RAY: Unfortunately, there’s another Golf engine that hasn’t been recalled yet. It’s the 2.0 liter four-cylinder that’s the base engine for the VW Golf. That engine uses only one coil. But we’ve replaced an unusual number of coils in those cars, too. So if you have that 2.0 liter engine, Brian, and you’re going across the country, you might want to carry a spare just in case.

TOM: Other than that, we recommend a cell phone, an auto-club membership, a couple of screwdrivers, a pair of vice grips, a set of jumper cables and a posse of duct tape. Anything you can’t fix with those tools, you’re not going to be able to fix on your own, anyway.