Today's Feature

Approved Letter of Support.

During Monday evening’s Public Safety Committee meeting the committee approved a motion to request a letter of support from Mayor Jim Woestman for Spare Cat Rescue. Spare Cat Rescue is a Carthage based foster care system for last chance cats.

Kaylene Cole of Spare Cat Rescue was present at the meeting to discuss the request. Cole said that Spare Cat Rescue was in the process of applying for a grant from the Southwest Missouri Foundation for financial assistance for a program to help local cat owners get their pets spayed and neutered. The grant, if approved, would assist with the spay/neuter of 50 animals with the pets’ owners paying half of the cost for the procedure. Cole said that she would appreciate a show of support from the City.

The organization, according to Cole, will accept injured, sick and elderly cats and will treat and fix broken bones prior to seeking homes for the animals.

Committee member Tom Flanigan recommended a motion to forward the recommendation to City Council for the Mayor to draft a letter of support. The motion was approved unanimously.

Stench Report:

Monday,
2/27/07

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square.

Fightin’ such temptations is a lot easier sittin’ in front of the tv. Ya don’t see that little spot ya missed paintin’ up in the corner, or that one last piece a trim that ya never quite nailed down. Up ta now we’re just talkin’ ‘bout things actually on the porch. Out in the yard there is always that stubborn elm that keeps tryin’ to sprout up ever’ spring. Seems like most of my porch sittin’ sessions end up with me tinkerin’ with this or that. At least this time a year, the sun goes down soon enough ta keep those big projects on the back burner.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

• "I line my veggie and fruit drawers with plain paper towels to avoid messes in the refrigerator." -- A Reader, via e-mail

• "For grease stains on fabric, I don’t reach any farther than my kitchen sink. I saturate it with dishwashing liquid and throw it in the washer. It works better than any stain stick." -- W.D. in Pennsylvania

• "Everyone knows probably five uses for pantyhose with runs in them. Here’s one I heard from a friend that I had never heard before. Scrunch one leg up and use it like a dusting mitt on upholstered furniture to get rid of cat hair. I guess it would work for all pet hair, but I do this every day now, and it’s so easy." -- G.T. in Washington

• If you have a stinky sink problem, check your garbage disposal. The plastic insert in the drain will usually pull out to give you a better look. Sometimes, all that is needed is to clean the plastic insert -- it can collect a nasty food slime on the disposal-facing side. You can also try running it for a few minutes with ice cubes, citrus peels, or baking soda and vinegar.

• "We have a ton of books, and to keep them relatively free of dust I use a hair dryer to blow them off. Work from the top down, then vacuum up the floor." -- P.D. in Michigan

• "In one of my pizza boxes, I noticed a sheet of plastic netting that keeps the pizza crust crispy during delivery. I saved it, thinking I would find a use for it. I did -- in my dishwasher! I had several small plastic containers that kept flipping up and collecting water, so I lined them up and placed the netting over them. I laid a spatula on top to keep it in place. It totally worked." -- A.A. in Florida