Today's Feature

Golf Slump Dwindles Revenue.

The Public Services Committee met Monday evening and discussed the decreased interest in golf playing over the past few years. City Administrator Tom Short said that the Municipal Golf Course missed its income projections for last year by 29 percent.

Municipal Park Golf Pro Mark Peterson said that the course did its renovation while golf was at a peak of interest, and since then the interest had dwindled.

"Unfortunately, this happened industry-wide," said Peterson.

Parks Director Alan Bull said that the weather was a big factor the year for Municipal, and that a wet July and August had taken its toll on people playing the sport.

The committee discussed various ways to reduce costs for the course including maintenance costs, closing the course for one day a week, personnel changes and several variations on the current golf cart lease system. One of the options was to postpone the change of carts, which would normally occur this year.

The Committee agreed to continue discussing options for boosting golf interest and cutting costs at the next meeting.

I don’t know what your weather indicator is predictin’, but I’m seein’ temperatures in the 70’s at the first of next week. That puts us in the middle of winter with spring-like weather again. Get out the water skis.

The former Carthage resident Tom Candella used ta say he liked the weather here because we were always only two weeks away from 60 degrees. Unlike some of his observations, I agree with this one.

‘Course I figure by the end of February we’ve made it through winter. I always have folks remind me of the late March storms that come through on occasion, but by then they don’t ‘mount ta much. A little cold snap at the beginnin’ of spring can’t be considered part a winter. A couple more 60 degree cycles and we’re headin’ for summer.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Here's A Tip

By JoAnn Derson

• There is a reason that most refrigerators have more than one crisper drawer. Some items need to be stored separately. For example, keep apples and carrots in different compartments. The apples give off a gas that can give the carrots a bitter taste.

• Here’s a great tip from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. They can be hurt or even killed by the starting of the motor. Before you start your car in the morning (or any time of day, really) give your hood a nice, loud rap to give the cat a chance to escape.

• "To keep melting snow, mud and leaves out of your house and off of your floors, line a wide, shallow box bottom with plastic wrap or a kitchen-size garbage bag. Place the lined box near the front door to hold dirty shoes." — R.I. in Ohio

• Apply lemon juice to the cut surface of an apple to prevent browning.

• "Mix some salt with a little bit of water and rub the mixture over your hands for a few minutes to get rid of the smell of garlic or onions from cooking. Rinse under cold water." — J.J. in Nevada

• "I usually keep a small blanket in the car for spontaneous picnics with the kids in the spring and summer. Last week, when my son and I got into the car to run errands in the morning, the car was really cold, which is kind of unusual for where I live. So, I grabbed the blanket and my son snuggled in it until the heater was able to warm the car. I am glad I had it in the car already." — R.T. in Florida