Today's Feature

McGregor Bridge to be Discussed.

The Public Works Department will meet tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall.

One item on the agenda is the discussion of the McGregor Street Bridge. This discussion will be led by Public Works Director Chad Wampler. The matter was briefly discussed during the citizen’s participation period of the last City Council meeting. Carthage Citizen Paul McCoy who lives on McGregor Street asked the Council if any plans had been made for repairing or replacing the bridge. McCoy was told that no plans had been decided upon yet and was urged to attend the meeting tomorrow.

Other items on the agenda include the discussion of the roundabout center island in the continuation of the "roundabout beautification" project.

New Carthage Football Coach.

News Release

The Carthage R-9 School District has announced that Mr. Jon Guidie has been selected as head football coach for 2005-2006. Guidie replaces Doug Buckmaster, who held the position for two years and is going to Joplin High School.

Each participating merchant could step outside their door a few times a day and take a sniff. If it was all clear the green flag would be flown. If a trace of odor was encountered the yellow would be shown. On days when pedestrians were seen holdin’ their nose as they walked between stores, the red flag would rise.

The recent attention of the foul odors raisin’ from the bottoms will hopefully keep such a showin’ of colors from bein’ necessary. Hopefully some relief is in the air, so to speak.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Kitchen Sink Does a Slow Drain

Q: My kitchen sink drains slowly and occasionally clogs. I have plunged it several times, but the improvement is only temporary. How can I get the sink to drain normally? — Helen G., Cincinnati

A: Plunging a clogged sink is a quick-fix solution to a recurring problem. However, over time, obstructions will compact into a solid mess that no amount of suction or hot water can break up. At that point, what you have to do is go farther locate this stubborn blockage.

You’ll need a few tools to do the job right: a pipe wrench, bucket and flexible coat-hanger wire to start. You may also need a plumber’s snake to reach where the wire can’t. Put on rubber gloves to protect your hands.

Underneath the sink, you’ll see that the drain pipe has a U-shaped bend in it. This is the trap, and it’s where most clogs begin. You typically have two options for cleaning this section of pipe: you can simply unscrew the drain plug located at the bottom of the "U" and reach inside the trap with the coat-hanger wire, or you can completely detach the trap from the rest of the drain pipe in order to thoroughly clean it.

In either case, place the bucket underneath the trap first to catch any water and debris that will empty out. Use the pipe wrench to loosen the drain plug and then unscrew it (aren’t you glad you put those rubber gloves on?). Once the excess water has drained out, either clean out the trap using the wire to catch and pull debris through the plug opening, or carefully remove the entire trap from the drain system by loosening the nuts on either end. Then, carefully tug the trap away from the other pipes and clean it out using flexible wire, brushes — whatever it takes to get the gunk out.

If you take the trap off, use this opportunity to check the drain system beyond it. Use the wire to carefully probe the drain pipe, pulling out all debris. If the debris is too compacted to break up with the wire, bring the plumber’s snake into play, threading it into the pipe and then rotating the handle.

Once everything is as clean as you can get it, replace the trap and screw the drain plug back in. Leave the bucket under the trap as you test the system by running hot water through it for a couple of minutes at full-force. If the slow-draining problem remains, contact a plumber to check your system for deeper clogs or other problems.