Today's Feature

Second Readings Approved.

The Carthage City Council met Tuesday evening in a regular session. Council approved three items of old business including; the annexation of 1925 Wilson Road and the acceptance of final plats for the Pleasant Hills Subdivision and the Blackberry Briar Subdivision.

During the citizens’ participation period, Carthage Convention and Visitor Bureau Director Aimee Smith presented the quarterly report to Council. Smith said that there had been 10,229 requests for information about Carthage in this year, which is a 15% increase over last year. Council member Ronnie Wells asked about the nature of the requests for information. According to Smith, the majority of the specific information requests from potential tourists asked for information about Precious Moments and Civil War information.

Smith also spoke about grant applications and said that a new format for the Convention and Visitor Bureau web site would be a project for grants this year.

Carthage Chamber of Commerce Director Max McKnight spoke to the Council about the possibility of applying to the state for a downtown revitalization program. McKnight said that he had secured an application which contains approximately 12 questions for the project. The Dream program, according to McKnight, is for assistance in planning and finding direction in downtown revitalization, and does not advertise help with funding of projects.

During staff reports, City Administrator Tom Short said that the City auction which was held June 20 had raised approximately $1,200. Short also said that a check had been received from the Ruth I. Kolpin Foundation to pay for the transportation of a large wooden eagle carving which was donated to the City. The eagle is in storage and will need repairs before it is decided where and if it should be displayed within the City.

Council adjourned to closed session at 8:00 p.m. Council member Larry Ross was not in attendance of the meeting.

Stench Report:
Wednesday,
7/12/06

No Stench Detected on Carthage
Square

Those little plastic bags with a coupon that are somehow placed in my lunch meat package are startin’ to bug me. I like to think that I’m the only one with access to that particular portion of ham, beef and pork by-products.

I suppose that little pack of "buy one get somethin’ for nothin’" is probl’y the least offensive thing in a bundle of lunch meat, but if it doesn’t add to the flavor, it shouldn’t be there.

As a kid I was fine with diggin’ in a box of puffed wheat for a plastic Roy Rogers ring, but they told ya it was there right on the box. ‘Course back then I went barefooted and bailed out of swings. I don’t relish the thought of doin’ that now either.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Go Ahead, Play the Radio

Dear Tom and Ray:

My husband says using the radio in the car uses gas. Is this true, and could you explain how? - Robyn

RAY: Technically, your husband is right, Robyn. But the amount of gas is so miniscule that it would be difficult to even measure it.

TOM: Yeah. The radio might use up an extra gallon of gas if you were driving, say, to the moon and back.

RAY: The reason it uses gas is because when the engine runs, it, in turn, runs the alternator. The alternator generates electricity to run the car’s electrical components - like the starter, the lights, the air conditioner and the vibrating butt massager.

TOM: Theoretically, each of the car’s electrical components makes the alternator work a little harder, which makes the engine work a little harder, which uses more gasoline. Some of this is measurable. For instance, the air conditioner really does cut into your mileage, because it draws a lot of current. But other stuff, like the dome light, the left blinker and the radio, draws so little current that it hardly matters.

RAY: So, if your husband is trying to tell you not to listen to the radio in order to save gas, tell him to flake off. Tell him that you’ll save more gas if he stops talking, because the added wind resistance created by his breath is going to affect the mileage as much as the radio is.