Today's Feature

Council Meeting This Evening.

The Carthage City Council will meet this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. The agenda is short and contains only two second readings under old business.

One of these items is an ordinance amending the recently approved two tier licensing system for cats and dogs. This item has been returned to Council to amend the cat licensing procedure as it concerns the date of licensing. The ordinance as originally approved lists January 1 as the required licensing date. The changes would change from a specific date to the annual anniversary of the date the licenses are issued for each pet. This is being changed to help prevent a bottleneck on January 1 and to keep the new licensing program similar to the scheduling previously employed.

The other item on the agenda under old business is the agreement with the adult softball program for use of the Hallam Sports Complex in Municipal Park. The new contract will list Mike Butt as the director following the departure of the former director. Butt submitted his proposal with two other applicants and was chosen by the Public Services board.

Stench Report:

Monday,
11/27/06

No stench detected on the Carthage Square

Well, it’s officially Christmas season. ‘Course we all knew it was comin’, but somehow it seems to get here a little quicker each year.

Even with all the ads poppin’ up on TV, I still enjoy the "spirit" of Christmas. I know there is a lot of concern ‘bout Christmas bein’ commercialized, but I don’t let that bother me much. The main thing is for each individual to make the holiday represent what they feel is its true meanin’.

This season I hope ever’one takes an active role in the spirit and goes out of their way to bring a little extra joy into the other guy’s life. The one that always just seems ta get your goat. Take the time and make that extra effort to find somethin’ good in ‘em. But you’d better hurry, it may be hard to do that in just 27 days.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Urinalysis Tracks Source of Infection

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a semi-retired RN. My doctor sent me to the lab for a urinalysis. They gave me an unsterile cup to use, and the results came back positive for bacteria. The doctor was going to start me on antibiotics. I requested a second test.

When I returned to the lab, the clerk reached under her desk, pulled out a cup and gave it to me. It told her it was not sterile. She argued and said it was. I asked to speak with the manager, who also said the cups were sterile. Finally, she admitted that they used to use sealed, sterile cups, but the company made them change. How many people are needlessly put on antibiotics because of this practice? I would like your opinion. -- C.M.

ANSWER: If the doctor wants to know which bacterium is causing a urinary infection, then the proper procedure for obtaining a urine specimen is quite rigid. The person has to cleanse the opening that allows passage of urine to the outside, and specific directions on how to do that have to be given. Then the person urinates the first part of the stream into the toilet or bedpan. That’s done to flush out any bacteria that live in the urethra, the tube that empties the bladder to the outside. The rest of the urine is then emptied into a sterile container.

For a routine urinalysis, one not asking for the identification of a bacterium, it could be acceptable to use an unsterile container, but that might not be a money-saver. If bacteria from the container contaminate the specimen, a second test will have to be done -- or the person will be prescribed antibiotics, and that’s throwing money away. This lab should listen to semi-retired RNs. They know what they’re doing.