Today's Feature

First Readings at Council.

The Carthage City Council will meet this evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Items on the agenda include the first reading of an ordinance proposing mid-contract changes to the City’s contract with Allied Waste for waste disposal. This item is brought by the Public Works Committee.

The proposed changes include the consolidation of residential rates to one category costing $8.00 per month, with a $6.50 rate for senior citizens, the consolidation of commercial hand pick rates to one category and the increase of commercial rates by 14 percent. The changes would also eliminate the City-wide cleanup in exchange for the pickup of one large item per household per week.

Other items on the agenda include an ordinance to accept the federal aid in a Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission On-System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program Agreement for the replacement of the Oak Street Bridge. This item also comes from the Public Works Committee. The committee agreed at its previous meeting to present the bill to Council without a recommendation due to the historic nature of the bridge. The grant money, totalling $177,200.00 is issued for the "replacement" of the bridge. The committee expressed fears that to replace the bridge would eliminate a piece of Carthage history.

The committee agreed to ask Council to approve further research into the status of the bridge, to see if repairs could be made to the substructure using City funding instead of grant money in order to keep the current bridge.

Statement by Senator Gary Nodler

Regarding the Joplin Memorial Middle School Shooting - October 9, 2006.

The threat of violence has once again struck a public school. This time it was not some distant place but right here in Joplin. Today, a 13 year old student threatened Joplin Memorial Middle School with a gun.

At least in part because of the heroic and professional conduct of school administrators, Assistant Superintendent Stephen Doerr and Principal Stephen Gilbreth, and the extremely quick and effective response of Joplin police officers, no one was hurt. I commend the Joplin Public Schools and the Joplin Police Department for their handling of this very difficult and dangerous situation.

Stench Report:

Monday,
10/9/06

No Stench detected on the
Carthage Square

I’ve never quite understood the national significance of Columbus Day. I suppose makin’ a national holiday celebratin’ an accidental discovery of an island pretty close to what is now the United States was a pretty big deal at the time, but in the scheme of things, it was just a matter of time.

Now if they wanted to celebrate the adventuresome nature of those who set out to discover or the inventive nature of the technology that led to the discovery, that would prob’ly make more sense.

I suppose that Columbus is a handy reference to the "discovery" of the new world, of which we are a significant part, but renaming the holiday would make more sense. Suggestions; "Don’t Ask Directions Day," "Take a Wrong Turn Day," "Take a Short Cut Day," all positive lessons taught by Columbus.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Most Can Prevent Repeat Gout Attacks

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: How can I prevent future gout attacks? I have had three in the past 18 months. I am currently taking 100 mg of allopurinol. I don’t eat liver or kidney, and I don’t consume alcohol. Could nuts in trail mix be the culprit? I eat two oranges daily. Can the citric acid in oranges increase uric acid? -- T.T.

ANSWER: A rise in blood uric acid brings on a gout attack. Uric acid is in the shape of needlelike crystals. When those crystals penetrate joints, painful swelling results.

Gout medicines come in two varieties. One stops the body from making too much uric acid. Your allopurinol (Zyloprim) is such a medicine, but you’re taking a relatively small dose. If people have normal kidneys, the standard daily dose is 300 mg, triple what you’re taking, and it can go as high as 600 mg a day.

Some people have a form of gout that is better treated by medicines that increase the excretion of uric acid into the urine. If the level of uric acid in the urine is on the low side, then this kind of medicine is the better gout medicine.

Between attacks, small doses of colchicine, a time-honored gout medicine, or anti-inflammatory drugs like Indocin are good preventive medicines.

Organ meats, like liver and kidney, have lots of purine in them. Purine promotes the formation of uric acid, so keep staying away from such food. Alcohol can also precipitate an attack, especially beer. Eat meat and seafood sparingly. Drink your orange juice and eat your nuts without fear. Low-fat dairy products lower uric acid. Start using them. Weight reduction and exercise also lower the risk for repeat gout attacks.