No Bus Parking.

The City Council held their regular meeting Tuesday evening in City Hall. Public Safety Committee Chair Mike Harris made a motion that the four spaces located on the northeast interior corner of the square be turned back into regular parking spaces. The spaces were used for a Double Decker Bus pickup location and the bus no longer runs a regular route.

In another parking issue City Administrator Tom Short brought up the two spaces on Grant just south of the square that the Public Safety Committee voted to vacate at last week’s regular meeting.

"That is just the beginning of the process for the individual (who requested the spaces be vacated) , there is still a number of procedures he needs to go through," said Short.

Public Safety Committee Chair Harris made a motion to postpone the purposed ordinance to add a new section pertaining to banning firearms in city buildings. Harris stated that it needed to be reviewed again at the next Public Safety meeting. The purposed ordinance does not mention banning firearms from parking lots of municipal facilities.

During the Council member comment portion of the meeting Council member Ronnie Wells stated that he believes it’s alright to have firearms on the parking lot, so long as they are locked up and left inside the vehicle.

The City Council voted unanimously to change the number of members on the McCune Brooks hospital from seven to nine. The Council also voted to authorize Certificates of Participation to finance improvements for CW&EP.

NASCAR to the Max

Sunday’s running of the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway began as scheduled but was halted on lap 39 of the scheduled 325 because of rain. The track boasts an extensive lighting system which would allow night time racing, but when the skies opened a second time near dark, the decision was made to postpone the race until Monday.

When racing resumed, several names that were constantly near the top of the leader board included Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Jeff Gordon. As the race wore on, it became clear that the real race would be between this group of driver with the likely shootout evolving into a Gordon/Stewart dual. With the laps winding down, Stewart was closing on Gordon who had dominated the last half of the race. With Stewart trailing Gordon by several car lengths and attempting to set Gordon up for a pass, contact between Earnhardt, Jr. and Ryan Newman sent Newman crashing into the outside wall and brought out the caution flag on lap 321. With only four laps to go, rather than stopping the race for a dash to the checkers, NASCAR opted to let the race end under caution. If a race has less than five laps remaining, NASCAR feels that restarting a race with few laps remaining often leads to further chaos rather than exciting finishes. NASCAR’s decision allowed Gordon to coast home for his third victory of the season and second in a row.

Matt Kenseth now leads the point’s standings by 258 over Earnhardt, Jr. The real race is now for second with second through fifth only separated by 38 points with sixth place Newman only 91 markers out of the runner up spot.

The one day delay will test the stamina and preparation of the teams as they now head cross country from Atlanta to Phoenix for this weekends race. The one-mile oval is a warm weather favorite of the drivers with an option of general admission mountain side seating for the fans. Matt Kenseth won last year’s race.

When ya add up the earthquakes, the politics, and the wild fires, California seems ta be a good place to be from, as in no longer livin’ there.

Those of us here in the Midwest get to put up with tornadoes, but it seems the left coast is way out front in natural catastrophes.

I’m still not sure why folks would wanna live anywhere ‘cept in this part of the country. I suppose it goes back to the old sayin’ that a fly in vinegar thinks he’s in the sweetest place in the world. They just don’t know any better.

‘Course there is sympathy for those affected by the fires, but most will likely rebuild and prepare for the next season. Hopefully it’s just a once in a lifetime proposition.

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:

I have a 1994 Honda Accord with 125,000 miles. When I run the air conditioner, condensation quickly builds up in the ventilation system and drips water onto the floor mats and feet of both driver and passenger. I’m guessing there is a drain somewhere that is plugged up. Where is the drain, and is it something I can fix myself? My girlfriend refuses to ride in my car until I get the problem fixed. Help me! — David

RAY: Tell her you paid extra for the optional "foot bath" feature.

TOM: Actually, you’re right about the drain being plugged up. When you run the air conditioner, one of its jobs is to remove moisture from the passenger compartment. Normally, that moisture gets condensed and then drips onto the ground underneath the car via a drain. I’m sure you used to notice a small puddle of water under the car when the AC was running.

RAY: And you no longer notice that puddle, do you, David? That’s because the drain’s plugged up and the water is draining onto your girlfriend’s feet instead.

TOM: The evaporator drain is located on the underside of the car, where the firewall meets the floor pan. It looks like a little piece of rubber tubing. And while you CAN attempt to clear it out yourself, I wouldn’t recommend it. The evaporator itself holds the refrigerant. If you happen to poke a hole in that with your screwdriver or clothes hanger, it’ll cost you several hundred dollars to replace.

RAY: So the preferred tool for the job is compressed air. If you go to any gas station or service shop and ask them to blow out your evaporator drain, they should be able to do it in a few minutes, for minimal cost.