Today's Feature

New Method for Renewals.

The Public Services committee decided to change the way that contract renewals will be handled at their last meeting. Parks Director Alan Bull, City Administrator Tom Short and members of the committee spoke about the contracts that come before the committee that do not involve significant changes. These contracts are passed to City Council for approval which the committee felt to be inefficient.

The new manner would still involve the committee reading and reviewing all contracts that come through the department but only contracts with large changes would be sent to Council for their approval. Over the past few months City Council has heard and approved contracts for a multitude of sporting activities including all of the Carthage area baseball teams. The new contract method for Public Services will begin with the next contract brought to the committee.

The City Council will meet this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Items on the agenda include an ordinance that would execute an agreement with Fireworks Spectacular for the July 4 fireworks show for the City.

I suppose there are things that ya never get too old for, but sometimes ya just know it’s over.

A guy I was talkin’ to over the weekend says he’s always played on a softball team durin’ the summer. At 56, he’s decided he just can’t do it any more. His get up and go has got up and went as they say.

I used ta love raw onions on ‘bout any sandwich. For some reason I just can’t take the aftermath of that experience nowadays.

Used ta love to have a car with a standard transmission ‘till I discovered an automatic is smarter than I am when it comes ta shiftin’ gears.

I don’t know for sure if we get smarter about not abusin’ our body or our body just isn’t as forgivin’ as we mature. There’s truth in the sayin’ it’s not the age but the miles.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Exercise Can Spark Asthma Attack

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My son plays high-school basketball. I attended one of his games with a friend who happens to be a nurse. Twice during the game, my son became quite winded and started coughing. He had to be taken out for a rest. My friend thinks he might have asthma. How do I get him tested for it? If he has it, will he have to stop athletics? That would break his heart. — K.K.

ANSWER: Your friend suggests your son might have exercise-induced asthma, and most of the people who have it have asthma attacks only upon exercising. It affects up to 20 percent of the general population.

Rapid breathing engendered by exercise cools and dries the airways. That’s a stimulus for some people’s airways to abruptly narrow and obstruct the flow of air into and out of the lungs. Coughing and wheezing are symptoms. However, many react with more subtle symptoms, like chest tightness or unwarranted fatigue. Symptoms appear during exercise or sometime after exercise. They usually go away in 30 to 60 minutes.

If your son does have the condition, his days of playing sports are not over. One simple way of combating airway narrowing is to breathe only through the nose. The nose warms and humidifies air before it reaches the airways. If need be, asthma medicines, inhaled from a spray, can prevent these attacks. Do have your son checked. Your friend might have made a good call.