Double Decker Bus.

The Public Safety Committee held their regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening at the police department. It was the first meeting since elections. The Committee consists of Council Members Mike Harris, Diane Sharits, Ron Ferguson, and Jim Woestman.

At the meeting Fire Chief Cooper discussed the double decker bus with the committee. The 1964 Bristol Lodekka has been a part of Carthage since 1993. It’s main use recently has been a tour bus driving around town and out to Precious Moments. Cooper told the Committee that the current driver is resigning and that it will be hard to find a replacement driver. Potential drivers have to have a CDL with passenger endorsement, the job is only part-time and the bus is hard to drive. Cooper also told the Committee that maintenance and operating costs are high. The Committee discussed a few options such as parking the bus and renting it out for tours, selling the bus or keep it running a while longer. The Committee decided to talk to the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Carthage, and Carthage Visitor Bureau and see if they had any ideas. The Committee will revisit the issue at the next meeting.

Cooper also mentioned that during the lighting storm Friday morning two houses were struck by lighting around the same time. There was no major damage at either house.

Police Captain Kevin Davis was at the meting filling in for Police Chief Dennis Veach. Davis told the committee that the new Explorer and the new cruiser were at the station. The Explorer has been marked, however, before the new cruiser was marked someone broke in to the paint shop in Joplin and the car was vandalized. The damage is covered by insurance but it will take longer to have the car street ready. Davis also told the committee that the overtime that was paid to local officers due to the recent tornados is scheduled be refunded by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association).

I see the evenin’ paper is wantin’ ever’one to take a second, or more likely a first, look at the City Charter.

What I’m not quite understandin’ is the logic as expressed in last evenin’s editorial. On the one hand there was a concern over the amount of time, committees, and red tape needed to get anything done. Then there was a jab at the City Administrator for bein’ able to "pocket veto" things.

First off, the only things the Administrator can "veto" are things the Council allows. Any Council member can bring forward any agenda they want.

Secondly, committees work slow. One alternative, a City Manager, would likely be faster, but then there’s that "veto" thing .

The suggestion of the evenin’ paper, of course, is to form another committee.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

HERE’S A TIP

By JoAnn Derson

• Remember, nature provides us with the most efficient and pain-free way of removing annoying particles from our eyes: tears. If you get stuck with a speck of sand, don’t rub your eyes; it’ll only aggravate your eye. Instead, look downward and blink several times. Or, in very stubborn cases, use a damp cotton swab if the irritant is on the white of the eye.

• Costume jewelry can be "dry cleaned" with a toothbrush and baking soda.

• "Tulips are lovely flowers. To keep them standing up straighter and longer when you have them displayed in a vase, add a few ounces (a shot glass) of vodka to the water. This will also keep them from opening so wide. They last a lot longer." — Fern in Milton, Pa.

• "I was working in my garden last week and I got stung by a bee. To relieve the sting, I cut an onion and laid a slice over the sting site. Instant relief! Just make sure the stinger is out of your skin first." — J. Ferguson in West Palm Beach, Fla.

• File this hint under recycle and reuse, from the Millers in Orlando, Fla.: "We were getting ready to paint over the weekend, and all of our small paint trays (for the cutting and trim) were fairly dirty. We looked around for something else to use, and we saw in our recycling bin an empty container of Cool Whip, so we washed it out and used that. It worked great in a pinch."

• Inexpensive flavored milk! J. Griffin of Grandview, Wash., writes: "If you just have a little milk left and you need some for your breakfast the next morning, it’s real good to mix milk and orange juice together for your dinner. The first time I did that, it reminded me of the Orange Julius at the mall. It’s real good."