Today's Feature

Fountain Still Broken.

The Public Services Committee presented City Council with one bid received for the repair of the Central Park fountain at the last Council meeting. Committee Chair Jim Woestman told Council that the bid was $27,000 higher than the money available for the repairs. Woestman also told the Council that the bid had not included the prevailing wage issue which usually increases the cost of labor by 20 percent, and when recalculated to take this into account the bid would be higher. A motion was passed to reject the bid for $69,373.15 from Concrete Services Corporation.

Also at the meeting, Council accepted a donation to the City of Carthage Civic Enhancement Fund from the Helen S. Boylan Foundation in the amount of $15,700. $10,000 of this donation is to be used to aid in restoring and refurbishing the Central Park fountain and surrounding fish pond. $1,300 is to be used to replace a boarded up slide in Central Park. $1,400 is to be used for replacing glass block windows at the restroom located in Municipal Park. $2,000 is to be used for advertising for the Municipal Park Golf Course.

I’d say a person’s automobile is one of the largest producers of paper of ‘bout anything else goin’. Just gettin’ a tag and payin’ taxes on it nearly fills most glove boxes these days. No room for gloves. ‘Course most have ta carry some of their insurance paper with ‘em all the time too.

That doesn’t include the paper that has ta be stored away from the car in some safe place. Most car titles of mine have been stored so safe that I can’t even find ‘em.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

Here is an odd thing: My brother, who lives in Germany, was shocked when I told him that here in the United States we change oil in a car about every 3,000 miles or three months. He told me that is crazy. In Germany, he says, NO ONE changes oil more than once a year, if even that. He’s being serious, too. I double-checked with my dad, and it seems true. Is this a case of the oil/mechanic industry making sure it has plenty of business at the cost of the consumer and the environment? Or is this really better for the car? - Anne

TOM: Well, some of it’s just cultural differences. In some countries, people like hot dogs and baseball games. In other countries, they like bratwurst and wearing steel-plated, conical bras while singing opera.

RAY: There actually are reasons why motor oil is changed less often in Germany. First of all, they drive fewer miles per year than we do. We, in the United States, average about 15,000-20,000 miles a year. Germans average about 10,000 miles a year.

TOM: Synthetic oil is also more popular there. And synthetic motor oil only needs to be changed every 10,000 miles, which works out to about once a year for the average German driver.

RAY: Over here, we use mostly traditional, petroleum-based motor oil. And most manufacturers now recommend changing oil every 7,500 miles. We recommend doing it every 5,000 miles, because we tend to be more cautious about protecting the engine.

TOM: But maybe it’s time for us to reconsider our recommendation? With engines AND oils getting better all the time, we might have to go up to 7,500 miles, too. Give us some time to think about it - and dump our Exxon stock before making a formal recommendation.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Q: Greg, you once wrote that Walter Cronkite, the retired CBS Evening News anchor, was a race driver before he went on to television fame. Can you give more information? — Mary P., New York

A: Mary, I’d be glad to. Walter Cronkite indeed was a race driver, and drove for Team Volvo from 1959 through 1961. Warren Donohue, who worked for Volvo in New Sales Development in the ’90s, was on Cronkite’s pit crew.

"Walter was a pretty good driver," recalls Donohue. "What I remember most were the conditions in the pits. Walter would pull in and we would fill his fuel tank with open five-gallon buckets of gas through funnels. Let me tell you, that was not the safest situation I’ve ever worked in."

Cronkite grew up in Houston and began racing in his early teens. He raced many different vehicles during his early racing career, and he and his friends would compete at an abandoned wooden board track.

Cronkite hung up his helmet in 1961 after 10 years of sanctioned competition. He attributes the move to a growing family and the demands of his new job as anchor of the CBS Evening News.

Cronkite admits that racing cars was a great release for him, and said there was an amazing exhilaration and adrenaline high after a race.

Senior News
By Matilda Charles
Sponsored by Generations

Reader Mail

Donna in New Jersey writes: "My mother is 78 years old and has suffered for years with an arthritic knee. ... She was told recently that with the advances in knee surgery, she could have a knee replacement that would allow her to live a fuller life without pain. But my sister’s husband, who is a doctor, says my mother is too old to have the surgery and should take her usual painkillers and be happy that she doesn’t have something worse. Where can I go for more advice?"

You can ask your mother’s orthopedist to arrange for her to see other specialists for their assessments of her condition and find out if they believe the surgery is or is not advisable.

Remember: Age is not necessarily a negative factor for this type of surgery. We’ve learned, for example, that new hip replacement procedures have allowed older folks who were once confined largely to their wheelchairs to regain mobility and enjoy a more active life. Of course, ultimately, it’s your mother’s decision. Good luck to you all.

Christopher J. writes: "My sister came to live with my wife and me after her husband died. ... She has a condition that requires frequent medical attention, (but) I found out that she doesn’t keep her doctor appointments. She says she can’t afford the co-pay. I offered to pay it for her, but she turned me down. What would you advise?"

If she came to live with you, does that mean she no longer sees her previous doctor? If so, maybe she just can’t get used to this new one and feels uncomfortable with him or her. You or your wife could talk to the doctor about her reluctance to see him. Maybe she just plain doesn’t like him, or maybe he doesn’t like her, and she picked up on that. See if she’s receptive to a suggestion that she see another doctor.