Today's Feature
Pension Debate.

A motion made at a City Council meeting on July 20 was questioned by Council members and Mayor Kenneth Johnson at the City Council meeting last Thursday. Finance/Personnel Chairman Ronnie Wells made a motion directing City Administrator Tom Short ask the Police and Fire Pension Committee if they would negotiate on the figures for their proposed pension changes. The motion was approved.

Council debated whether or not the issue was progressing, and about who would make the final decision on the matter. Mayor Johnson said the purpose of the original motion made in July was not to take the Fire Tax to a vote.

There was some confusion about the wording of the motion when it was made by Council Member Mike Harris and he was asked to restate it. Council minutes from the meeting report,

"Mr. Harris made a motion, seconded by Mr. Stearnes, to send the information to the appropriate committee for more study and for that Committee to bring a proposal to the Council."

I see where an enterprisin’ college student found a way to make a little extra cash. He copied a parkin’ ticket he got and began placin’ them on cars around the campus. He replace the police department’s address with a box number he rented and watched the cash roll in. He even opened a separate bank account for the receipt of the $42 tickets.

Apparently the police figured out the plot when a payment was returned to sender and the offender tried to deliver the ticket in person to the department.

Accordin’ to police reports several hundred dollars were found in the account and the student was busted.

I don’t know if the tickets were placed on vehicles that were illegally parked, but several felt guilty enough to send in cash.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

This Is A Hammer

By Samantha Mazzotta

Q: How can I get hard-water stains and spots off of the glass doors in my shower? I’ve tried cleaning them with bleach, but it hasn’t worked. — Mercedes K., via e-mail

A: Bleach doesn’t really do the trick because hard-water stains are a type of mineral buildup, rather than just a discoloration. Scrubbers and abrasive pads also won’t work, because they can scratch the glass badly.

Try these methods of cleaning mineral buildup, starting with the simplest remedy: vinegar.

Use plain white vinegar, cut half-and-half with water, and apply it to the door with a soft cloth or sponge. Let the vinegar-water solution sit for about 10 minutes, then wipe the door down and rinse it. If the mineral buildup is still visible, use a stronger concentration of vinegar to water (3 parts vinegar to 1 part water) and repeat the process.

This may sound like bragging, but I keep a gallon of vinegar beneath the bathroom sink. It’s very effective at cleaning mineral buildup around the sink and tub faucets, as well as inside the toilet tank (I use a half-and-half water solution and let it soak for an hour, then drain, wipe the tank and rinse).