Today's Feature

Planning and Zoning Hearing Today.

The Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation Commission will hold a hearing at 5:30 p.m this afternoon in the Council Chambers of City Hall.

Items on the agenda for discussion include the request for a Special Use Permit for a Daycare/Preschool at 1115 S. Fulton as requested by Bryan K. Joslyn.

A re-zoning request for 743 W. Central and Certificate of Appropriateness for a proposed office building as requested by Mark A. Robison is also on the agenda.

A re-plat of Oak Street addition and re-zoning request for proposed lots from zoning "A" to "B" as requested by Jerry Jackson is scheduled to be discussed.

Other items on the agenda include the final plat for Precious Moments Hotel site as requested by Precious Moments, the final plat for Lakeview Addition as requested by EJS Development LLC, the final plat of miscellaneous lot 5 in section 28, Twp 33, Rg 31 in Carthage as requested by James Schrader and the re-plat of lots 62-64 in Parkview addition and lots 15-16 in the Woodland addition as requested by Mike Davenport.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler reported to the Public Works Committee at their last meeting that the Public Works Department was working on a way to make the re-plat process more efficient by not requiring a Council action for each request.

The situations that don’t directly involve anyone else are the worst. Like those great ideas that strike in the middle of the night that can never be remembered next mornin’. Pet rock type of ideas or that flash when you remember where you really put the keys.

What’s really scary is durin’ the process of tryin’ to remember that one thing that is botherin’ you, you start rememberin’ all those other things that haven’t been gotten around to, like learnin’ all the words to Louie Louie.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Unclogging a Garbage Disposal

Q: While grinding up some leftover food last night, the garbage disposal slowed and then stopped. I turned off the switch and let the motor cool down, but it hasn’t started up again. What’s wrong with it? — Gladys L., Bethesda, Md.

A: Sounds like the disposal is clogged, or possibly broken. Since a broken disposal will require professional help, let’s try to unclog it first.

The disposal is turned off at the wall switch, but to be completely safe, turn off the circuit that leads to the disposal switch. Then, use a pair of tongs or other gripping device — NEVER your hand — to reach into the disposal chamber and try to grip the food debris that may be clogging the blades. Remove as much as you can with the tongs.

Next, look under the sink at the bottom of the disposal unit. There may be a small hole in the center of the unit bottom. You may also see a red reset button somewhere on the unit.

If the hole is present, get a quarter-inch Allen wrench — one of those small hexagonal tools with a 90-degree bend near the top, which are provided with many assemble-it-yourself bicycles and metal futons. Most disposals with the center hole — which is a manual control for turning the blades — come with this wrench. If you don’t have any tool like it, home-improvement stores carry Allen wrenches.

Insert one end of the wrench in the hole and try to turn it in either direction. Work the wrench back and forth to loosen the blades, until you can spin the wrench all the way around. Remove the wrench (tape it somewhere near the disposal so you can locate it next time) and press the reset button. Turn on the circuit, then go back to the sink, run cold water and turn on the disposal to make sure it works.

If no center hole is present underneath the disposal, you can loosen the blades directly by placing the end of a broom handle into the main chamber (from the top) and working it back and forth until the blades turn easily. If the unit doesn’t have a reset button, it should automatically reset itself once repairs are done.

Clearing the clog should be all it takes to restore your disposal. But if these steps don’t work, contact a professional who can take more advanced steps to get things spinning again.