Council's Agenda.

The City Council will hold their regular meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall. The Council is scheduled to vote on an Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to enter into agreement with the Carthage Kiwanis for use of the area known as Kiddieland in Carthage Municipal Park.

The Park’s Department Manager Alan Bull reported earlier that this is their standard yearly agreement.

"It’s real easy," said Bull. "They have the insurance and run Kiddieland, we mow and dump the trash."

Under new business is a proposed Ordinance vacating portions of sewer easements in lots 133 and 134 in Section 4, Township 28 North, Range 31 West, in the City of Carthage.

Public Works Director Craig Menees stated that the lots are owned by Joe Butler and located on west Central, just past the rail road bridge on the north side.

"We are going to give it up," said Menees, "to further development. In the past, the Engineering Department passed judgement on these. The Charter of the City explains that these are to go through the Planning and Zoning committee and the City Council. We will be seeing a lot more of these."

Also on the agenda, under new business are proposed ordinances authorizing special use permits for business operations at two residential locations. The operation of "Kinder Music" by Lucinda Orr in the existing residence at 1911 Baker and licenced beauty shop operator Sherry Rimer in the existing residence at 615 South McGregor.

The evenin’ paper editorial the other day was likin’ the idea of job descriptions for City employees. It seemed the main focus of the comments were that such descriptions would make it easier to identify who was responsible if somethin’ was goofed up.

In our City, the responsibility of ever’thing sits with the City Council. They do the hirin’ and firin’ of all Department heads and it is the Department heads role to carry out the wishes of the Council. ‘Course the Mayor has some weight in the flow of things, but ultimately the Council has the power and the responsibility to get things done in Carthage.

So although I agree that havin’ job descriptions for all City employees is the responsible thing to do, those who vote dictate who is responsible.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

McCune- Brooks Hospital

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH

By Paul G. Donohue, M.D.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My doctor just shocked me by telling me I have hepatitis C. I don’t do drugs. I have been faithful to my wife. How could I have gotten this? Can I pass it to my wife and children? What’s the treatment? — B.V.

ANSWER: Ready answers to people’s questions about hepatitis C are not always available. One avenue of transmission is sharing needles in drug injections. Some people became infected through blood transfusions before there was a test to detect this virus. Health care workers can become infected if they get stuck by needles used on hepatitis C patients. Sexual transmission, while possible, is quite rare, and transmission to household members is even rarer. You might never discover how you came down with this virus.

Most infections are discovered because a person happens to have a battery of blood tests done and the liver enzymes are found to be elevated. I suspect that’s how your diagnosis was made.

In up to 80 percent of patients, the infection becomes chronic, as the virus remains alive in liver cells. Hardly anyone has symptoms during this latent infection. However, between 2 percent and 20 percent of the chronically infected will develop liver cirrhosis 20 to 30 years after initial infection.

Treatment involves weekly infusions of the drug interferon alpha and the daily oral medicine ribavirin.