Today's Feature

Public Works Meeting Tonight.

The Carthage Public Works Committee will meet this afternoon at 5:00 in City Hall to review applications recieved by the City for the position of Public Works Director. After the applications have been read and discussed the process of scheduling interviews will begin.

Advertisements for the position have been placed in numerous newspapers and publications in the southwest part of the state as well as on the Carthage City website. Some members of the Public Works Committee felt that Carthage would have competition in filling the position, as Joplin and Webb City were at the same time advertising for Public Works Directors.

The cutoff date for applications was the 24 of September and at that time the City had received 22 applications. In addition to the new applications there were applications left from the last period of hiring in which Craig Menees was accepted. The original intention to have the position filled by mid to late September was not met.

The position has been left unfilled since the departure of Craig Menees on August 6.

Like the old sayin’ goes, to take off a lid, you’ve gotta be smarter than a jar.

My mom used to tap on the top of a lid that was difficult in gettin’ off. I’ve heard that puttin’ the jar in hot water helps. ‘Course us boys would battle to see which one of us could use our natural ability to get it off.

There are those commercial gadgets that clamp down on the lid and give ya some leverage. Or those rubber rags that give ya better grip. They also have limitations, but at least they don’t make racket and lead you to believe they are doin’ somethin’ like an electric can opener. Where’s my pocket knife.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

To Your Good Health

By Dr. Paul G. Donahue M.D.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My PSA count went from 4.1 to 9.4. I have an appointment with a urologist. What kind of tests will be done? In your opinion, do I have prostate cancer? What would the treatment be? - Worried

ANSWER: Prostate cancer is not the sole cause for a rise in PSA. Noncancerous prostate enlargement increases it, as does an infection of the gland. The infection can be so mild that it produces no symptoms. However, cancer is the issue that has to be resolved. PSA readings between 4.1 and 10 carry a 25 percent probability of being cancer.

Don’t let that panic you. Fifty percent of men 80 and older harbor cancer in their prostate glands, and many of them will never have a symptom from it, nor will it shorten their lives.

The next test will be a biopsy of the gland. The urologist will use an instrument that takes many biopsy samples simultaneously, with only minor discomfort.

If the biopsy shows cancer, then you have lots of choices. The choices are based on a man’s age, his general health, whether the cancer has spread out of the gland and its aggressiveness. The pathologist who reviews the biopsy puts a number on the cancer, called the Gleason score, which tells how aggressive - how fast the cancer grows and how likely it is to spread - the cancer is.