Today's Feature

Phone Service Agreement Changes.

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 entering into a Plexar II Fixed Rate Payment Plan Agreement with AT&T for local telephone service for City Hall and all City Departments.

The City’s previous phone service contract was a Plexar II payment agreement, which required that the City pay for a certain number of lines in order to receive a lower rate. This number was larger than the number of lines used in City Hall and the other City departments. In order to attain that number the City combined phone services with the Carthage Library, Carthage Water & Electric Plant (CW&EP) and McCune-Brooks Hospital. City Administrator Tom Short said that using the Plexar II agreement the phone service bill was reduced by approximately half.

The City’s previous contract has expired and new information was received from AT&T stating that the minimum line number is no longer required for the City to be part of the Plexar payment agreement. With these changes, CW&EP and the hospital will both separate their phone services from the City. The library will still be included with the rest of the City lines.

According to Short, McCune-Brooks intends to pay for phone service on a monthly basis until the transfer to the new hospital is complete.

Other items on the agenda include the renewal of the one year City contract with Chad and Pam Sturgeon for the use of the pavilion in Municipal Park as a skating rink.

Stench Report:

Monday,
12/11/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square

If you’re a regular reader, you have surely noticed that horses sold at that time in the $500 range from time to time. Now the upkeep was prob’ly a considerable amount less back then, and I’m sure common horses were considerably cheaper, but it took a good portion of most folks income to keep a horse I’d suppose.

I guess when you consider the fact that the clock in the courthouse cost a thousand bucks back then, you start ta get a feel as to the value of that dollar to most folks.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Blood Pressure Basics

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am writing about my husband’s recently diagnosed hypertension and my concerns about it. His doctor recommends a home blood pressure unit for him. I wonder if the stress of using a home monitor will raise his blood pressure. I would like to know what the consensus is among doctors for a normal reading. -- W.W.

ANSWER: Ideal blood pressure is one that is less than 120 over 80. A new category of hypertension is prehypertension, whose readings are 120 to 139 over 80 to 89. Stage 1 hypertension is 140 to 159 over 90 to 99, and stage 2 is any value equal to or greater than 160 over 100. If one number is normal but the other number is not, the abnormal number is the one that is used to determine the classification.

For prehypertension, doctors have their patients make changes in the way they lead their lives. They’re told to lose weight when indicated, to decrease salt use, to increase potassium and to exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. Decreasing salt intake means more than taking the saltshaker off the table. It means reading labels for the sodium content and avoiding salted products, like most luncheon meats.

For stage 1 hypertension, the above is prescribed and medicines are given if there’s any evidence of changes in the eye, the heart or the kidney. If blood pressure doesn’t come down with lifestyle changes, medicines are prescribed. For stage 2, medicine is prescribed from the start, along with lifestyle changes.

Getting a home blood pressure unit is a wonderful idea. It will give him readings that are obtained in normal surroundings, readings that can be more valuable than those taken in the doctor’s office.