Today's Feature
Certificate of Participation.

The Carthage City Council approved an ordinance issuing certificates of participation for financing the expansion of the Carthage Public Library in the amount of $4.52 million at the Council meeting on Tuesday.

City Financial Advisors Marty Nohe and Tom Kaliko from Springstead Inc. spoke to the Council concerning the completion of this transaction. Nohe mentioned that a company named Assurance Guaranteed had handled the bond insurance. Kaliko spoke about the process by which the arrangements were completed and the large amounts of paperwork and communication involved.

"No transaction of this magnitude gets done without a great amount of participation," said Kaliko.

The tentative date for the transaction is scheduled for July 28. The ordinance was approved unanimously. Council members Claude Newport and Dave Woods were absent from the meeting.

Council also heard the first reading of an ordinance authorizing an agreement with Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for a public transportation operating assistance grant.

Jasper County Youth Fair.
News release

4-H and FFA kids of Jasper county are holding a Jasper County Youth Fair, July 13 through July 16 at Municipal Park in Carthage. This year in addition to preparing projects for exhibit, the children are also taking time to assist the local community by sponsoring a food drive to benefit the local Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls’ Club.

A large amount of canned food has already been collected by 4-H and FFA members of Jasper County. Containers will be available during the fair for any donations the community would like to make.

The 4-H and FFA members decided to include this community project in the 2005 fair as a way to give back to the community that has given them so much over the past years. When the members heard that Salvation Army had lost nearly $3,000 worth of food when a freezer at the Carthage facility had failed, the kids decided it was time to come to their aid.

This fair is the product of 12 months of hard work by local children. The kids devote a large portion of the year in preparation for the week long event which includes a carnival, livestock shows, exhibits of woodworking, metalworking projects, a Friday evening barbecue with live music, a "beautiful baby" contest and much more.

As I remember a few years ago the height allowed by City ordinance was reduced from 18 inches to 12 inches. Still a pretty good crop of hay.

It’s likely that initially keepin’ weeds down was a type of fire control and an attempt to keep varments from nestin’ in the back yard. These days that’s prob’ly less of a problem, but still a legitimate concern.

My uncle use ta always cut grass with the mower at its highest level. Not so much for the health of the yard, but mainly to avoid whackin’ any wrenches or the water hose.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

My roommate and I have been arguing about tire traction. I said that a racing slick (or just a bald tire) has more traction in a dry environment, and is able to stop a vehicle faster on a dry road. He said that a tire with tread has more traction and is able to stop a vehicle faster. We are on the verge of war; I’ve taken his dipstick hostage, and he’s got my hubcaps. Please help end this war and bring peace (and my hubcaps) back to this house. - Matt.

RAY: He needs to return your hubcaps with a humble apology, Matt. You’re right.

TOM: On a dry road, a racing slick will give you more traction. Why? Because there’s more rubber surface area actually in contact with the road. That’s why drag racers, who need as much traction as they can get, as quickly as possible, use "slicks," or tires with no treads.

RAY: But remember, as soon as a half ounce of rain comes out of the sky, you’ll be in the ditch with your slicks. The problem with slicks is that when there’s water on the road, the tire rolls up on top of it, and the water has nowhere to go. And when the tire’s on top of the water, NONE of its rubber is touching the ground! That’s called hydroplaning, and it severely limits your ability to turn or stop.

TOM: The purpose of the grooves in treaded tires is to provide pathways for the water to escape. That way, while the rest of the rubber is maintaining full contact with the road, the grooves are channeling the water out back, behind the tire. And onto the windshield of the poor schnook driving behind you.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

The Secret of Front-Wheel-Drive Dragsters

Q: Greg, I’m a big fan of Import Drag Racing, and I am wondering how front-wheel-drive cars can run so fast? I’ve seen cars go 7.5 seconds at more than 190 mph in the quarter mile with front-wheel drive. How can they do this with all that torque steer? -- B.H., Spokane, Wash.

A: I wondered the same thing until I found out how they do it. First, let’s explain what torque steer is.

Torque steer is common in powerful front-drive cars. When the throttle is opened full, the car usually pulls either left or right depending on the engine and transaxle setup. This results from unequal shaft lengths leading to the front wheels because the engine sits sideways in the car.

On a Pro FWD drag-racing Sport Compact Car, the engine is actually turned 90-degrees and sits in the car longitudinally (the long way) and is connected to the front axles by what is called a V-Drive, which was developed initially for boat drag racers. This way, a regular aftermarket transmission can be used, like a racing Powerglide. The power is transferred to the front wheels by equal length shafts via the V-Drive. The V-Drive eliminates the use of the transaxle, which uses unequal length shafts to move the power to the front wheels.