The Carthage City Council agenda for this evening’s 7:30 meeting includes a scheduled vote on a request by Jim Williams to rezone property located at 906-910 Garrison.

Williams has operated Williams’ Auto-Sport used car lot at the 910 Garrison address for the last several years under a nonconforming variance. The variance was allowed because the property has been used for business purposes (see photo inside) since before Carthage adopted zoning regulations in the 1950’s. Williams wants to permanently rezone that property and also his adjacent property at 906 Garrison.

City Administrator Tom Short, in a memo to the City Council, noted that the rezoning does not fit the City Comprehensive Plan guidelines and may be considered "spot zoning."

Williams says his neighbors do not object to the rezoning and his property is only 100 feet from other commercial properties. He is expected to address the Council during the meeting.

The Council is also scheduled to vote on ordinance 03-01 which would clarify political activity for City employees.

A letter to the editor in last Saturday’s evenin’ paper started with disappointment that the City did not spend $20,000 on a Park System Comprehensive plan.

The letter continued by listing several areas of the system that needed improvement. I thought it was a well thought out presentation that equals most professional consultant’s work. I’m figurin’ the City should take this lady’s advice, and just give her the twenty grand.

I’m guessin’ many of those who oppose hirin’ a consultant just would rather the money be spent on things that would actually improve the obvious needs, not just to write down a list of ‘em.

Twenty thousand will not start to fix the ones listed in the letter, but it would be a start.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

Options for Varicose Veins Are Many

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have varicose veins really bad. They hurt a lot. Do you think I should have surgery? If so, whom do I see? My doctor says insurance won’t pay and any surgeon is OK. — M.C.

ANSWER: Varicose veins are dilated, stretched-out-of-shape leg veins. If we walked on all fours, we wouldn’t have them. The pull of gravity on vein blood when we walk upright is great. Blood pools in leg veins and stretches them. To overcome this, veins have valves. Once blood begins its journey back to the heart, leg vein valves close and thereby overcome gravity’s pull. People with varicose veins have incompetent leg valves. And the final ingredient in the varicose vein recipe is a family history of such veins.

Have you tried self-help measures? Elevate your legs when sitting and lying down so blood can drain out of them. When standing, move around. If you cannot move, contract your leg muscles. The squeeze of leg muscles on veins pushes blood upward toward the heart. If you are carrying too much weight, you must reduce. Wear compression hose — elasticized hose whose pressure stops blood from pooling in the legs. Don’t wear anything that constricts the legs, such as garters. If the veins are giving you grief, that is an indication for surgery. General surgeons and vascular surgeons perform the operation.