"For Cryin' Out Loud.

The City Council held their bimonthly meeting Tuesday evening in Council Chambers.

The golf course name change was discussed at the meeting. The Public Service Committee made a recommendation to change the golf course name from Carthage Municipal Golf Course to Boulder Creek at Carthage. The Council members debated the subject.

"Changes have taken place, and it deserves recognition with a new name, to promote it, give it definition," said Council member Jackie Boyer

Council member J.D. Whitledge added that the name "will grab attention."

Executive Director of Carthage Convention and Visitors Bureau Teresa Gilliam said that from an advertizing point of view Boulder Creek at Carthage would be beneficial.

Council member Jim Woestmen described the debate as "a generation thing."

"The older people don’t want it changed and the younger people are a little more free thinking and they do want it changed," said Woestmen.

"No one will refuse to play if the name is changed," said Council member Bill Putnam.

Council member Ronnie Wells stated that the citizens he talked to said "why change the name?" Wells also stated that he was not in favor of a name change. Council member Chuck Tobrock stated he was not in favor of Boulder Creek either.

"You have two weeks, talk to some of your people," said Mayor Kenneth Johnson. "For cryin’ out loud see what they want. I have been conducting some polls everywhere I’ve gone, mixed crowd, old people young people, so far everywhere I’ve gone it’s overwhelming not to do this. What I hear about Boulder Creek is ‘Boulder! that’s Colorado.’"

A final decision is scheduled for February 25th at the next Council meeting.

The agenda also included discussion about the roundabout at Airport Drive and Highway 571. Council member William Fortune said that construction of the roundabout will start in about 30 days.

City Administrator Tom Short reminded the Council that city offices will be closed Monday the 17th for Presidents Day. The Public Safety Meeting scheduled for the 17th will be Monday the 24th.

The committee voted to recommend that the council approve the resolution and support the tax increase. A full council decision is scheduled for February 25th.

NASCAR to the Max

Regardless of Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast for the next few weeks, for the diehard NASCAR fan, a long cold winter without racing is officially over. The Budweiser Shootout was contested last Saturday and this Sunday’s Daytona 500 marks the official start of the NASCAR season.

The Budweiser Shootout is a non-points paying race contested between last year’s pole winners and previous winners of the Shootout. The Shootout featured a different format this year with the 70-lap feature being broken into two segments; one 20-lap section and a 50-lap segment separated by a 10 minute break for repairs and maintenance.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who started 19th, charged from last to first in the first segment then was shuffled around during the 50-lap segment before retaking the lead with only a few laps remaining. He held off a hard charging Jeff Gordon over the final lap to claim his first Shootout victory.

Sunday’s qualifying for the Daytona 500 was rained out and held on Monday. Daytona 500 qualifying uses a system unique to this race. Only the first two starting positions are locked in based on qualifying. Jeff Green captured the pole position with a speed of 186.606 mph while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will start in the second position with a speed of 186.382 mph.

The remainder of the drivers have to race their way in through one of two, 125-mile qualifying races (Twin 125’s) scheduled for today. One of the qualifying races is comprised of the qualifiers in the odd numbered positions while the other is comprised of the even numbered qualifiers.

The top finishers of each of the Twin 125’s are then seeded in position 3-30. The winner of the first 125 will start 3rd, second 5th etc., with the winner of the second 125 starting 4th, second 6th and so forth. Positions 31-36 are then filled by drivers with the six best qualifying speeds not yet in the field.

The final seven positions are filled based on last years car owner points by drivers still not in the field making a starting field of 43.

Mom used ta talk about roller skatin’ on the sidewalks when she was a kid. When we’d go ta visit her folks, I’d marvel at the endless sidewalks.

My Grandad walked to work all the time I knew ‘im. ‘Bout six blocks down the sidewalk with shade trees all the way.

Come ta think of it, he never had a car all the time I knew him. Nothin’ against ‘em, think he just didn’t see the need. His thick glasses may have had somethin’ ta do with that.

Once I heard my mom say a friend of grandpa’s was comin’ over. Said he enjoyed sittin’ ‘round just talkin’ politics.

I didn’t know ‘xactly what that meant. Even now I wonder what they talked about, after all they had some of the best sidewalks around.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom & Ray:

Our family is engaged in the "What car should we get for our teenage son?" negotiations. We are stumped as to whether it would be better to get a "new" used car with air bags and other safety devices, or to purchase an "old" used car, circa the 1960s. The ‘60s Mustang is our son’s car of choice. We would want it modified to have three-point seat belts, but we are concerned because it would not have air bags. It is heavier than the newer cars and thus might afford more protection to balance out what it lacks in air bags, etc. Our son is responsible, so we are more concerned about other drivers running red lights than about his occasional lapses of sanity. Any suggestions for a concerned father? — Bill

RAY: Bill, you’re the one having the lapse of sanity. Are you sure it’s not you who has the hots for the Mustang?

TOM: The 1960 Mustang was an awful car then, and it’s even worse now. It was a lousy Ford Falcon with a different body. It rode terribly, handled terribly, braked terribly. So what did Ford do to improve it other than slap a racier body on it? It put a bigger engine in it!

RAY: In general, even the cheapest new car you buy today is superior in just about every way to cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The only advantage the older cars have is exterior styling (in my opinion).

TOM: I know we’ll get tons of hate mail for saying this, but if you take even the most affordable cars on the market today — your Hyundai Elantras and Toyota Corollas — and compare them with a ‘60s Mustang, you’ll find that today’s cars ride better, handle better, brake better, are more comfortable, much safer, much more reliable, burn much less fuel and create less pollution.