Today's Feature

Floodplains Revision Appealed.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler in coordination with Engineer Jason Ekhart from Sprenkle and Associates have appealed several specific areas of the revised floodplains region to S.E.M.A.

The areas being appealed are Carter Branch, the intersection of 96 Highway and Central Avenue, and the intersection of 13th Street and Buena Vista. According to Wampler, the appeal is based on the historical events of the 1993 flood. Ekhart researched the historical data of the flood and the elevations of the areas appealed to show that the newly included areas had not been affected during that flood.

Wampler said that he felt the flow rates the study used for revisions were excessive. When the map of the revised floodplain areas was shown to the Public Works Committee by Ekhart at the meeting on October 19 of last year, several of the Committee members were surprised by the amount that the region had expanded.

The appeal will go to S.E.M.A. for review and further contact may be made with the City. Wampler said the results of the appeal can be expected in a few months.

‘Course nowadays, the grown-ups have their own toys ta play with. I was in a restaurant the other day and ever’ now and then a car would honk on in the parkin’ lot. I figured it was someone’s alarm goin’ haywire. Come to find out, one of the older gentlemen sittin’ in the restaurant had a remote control that made the horn honk. Ever’time someone would walk by, he’d give ‘em a beep. As usual, the reaction of those walkin’ by was what kept his table in stitches.

One guy that happened ta pass by was still talkin’ to the blame thing as he came in the door. I don’t think he knows yet what ever’one was laughin’ at.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Small Strokes Can Warn of Big Ones

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please say something about TIA. My doctor tells me I had one. He’s not making a big deal about it. Does that mean I shouldn’t make a big deal about it either? — J.O.

ANSWER: A TIA — transient ischemic attack — is a big deal, and doctors and patients should make a big deal about one. It’s an interruption of blood flow to the brain that lasts minutes to hours but never longer than one day.

Symptoms depend on which part of the brain is deprived of blood. Sometimes people find themselves unable to talk; have visual problems, including partial or total loss of sight in one eye; become weak in an arm or leg; experience numbness of the face or an extremity; or stagger when they try to walk.

Close to 10 percent of those who have a TIA go on to have a full stroke within 90 days. Respect a TIA as a warning of future trouble unless something is done to prevent it.

There’s real urgency to find out where the blood-flow interruption took place and why it took place. Many times, there is a blockage in one of the carotid arteries in the neck. More and more experience is being gained at squashing carotid-artery buildup with a balloon, a procedure similar to one used for blocked heart arteries. Bits of clots that have traveled to a brain artery from a distant site, such as the heart, are another common cause. You definitely need further investigation and possible treatment right now.

Collecting
By Larry Cox
Sponsored by Oldies and Oddities

Swarovski Crystal

Q: Is there a good reference book you can recommend concerning Swarovski crystal? — Betty, Miami, Fla.

A: One of the better publications is Collecting Swarovski: Identification and Price Guide, by Dean A. Genth (Krause Publications, $29.99). This lavish guide features more than 900 listings and 300 photographs.

According to Genth, Daniel Swarovski founded his company near the Austrian village of Wattens in 1895. Swarovski, a crystal stonecutter, invented a machine that allowed him to produce high-quality stones and crystal with exceptional brilliance.

The beauty and elegance of Swarovski silver crystal is cherished and collected throughout the world. Typical values include a small crystal butterfly, $90; a stylized pear, $185; and a geometric paperweight, $250.

Q: Several years ago, I purchased a collection of documents at a farm sale in Delaware. Most of the papers are Utah "gold rush" papers from the 1870s and 1880s. In addition to letters and surveys, there are maps and mining brochures. Where can I market this interesting lot? — Sam, Littleton, Colo.

A: Warren Anderson is the owner of American West Archives and actively deals in pre-1920 mining documents of all types. Contact him at P.O. Box 100, Cedar City, UT 84721; awa@netutah.com; and www.americanwestarchives.com.