Today's Feature

Approved EEZ, Comprehensive Plan.

Carthage City Council members during Tuesday’s meeting approved two ordinances which City officials believe may have a long-term impact on the City. The Council approved a motion to enter into the application for Joplin’s Enhanced Enterprise Zone. The application, which Joplin is to submit to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, would allow for tax abatement and tax credits for the purpose of adding incentives to new or relocating businesses. Though Joplin has initiated the request for zoning, the territory covered in the plan encompasses areas of Carthage and several other surrounding communities.

Council also approved a motion to enter into contract with Planning Works of Kansas City for a City comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan would be used to guide the growth of the City, providing a strategy for economic development and continued historic preservation. The previous comprehensive plan was conducted in 1994. Planning Works’ bid for the job included several workshops with citizens and City officials, to be conducted over approximately one year.

Council member Larry Ross made a motion to postpone the vote on an ordinance that would lease property to McCune-Brooks Hospital for the purpose of constructing a doctor complex near the new hospital site. Ross said he felt there was some confusion about the proposal and wished to get more information from McCune-Brooks CEO Bob Copeland prior to voting on the matter.

Due in part to High school graduation which was held on Tuesday, council members Mike Harris, Tom Flanigan and Bill Fortune were not present at the meeting. Ross said he felt the postponement would allow another opportunity for the full council to hear the details on the lease. The motion to postpone was approved unanimously.

Council also approved three street closures presented by the Public Safety Committee. The Carthage Relay For Life event on June 1 and 2, the Annual Sidewalk Sale to be held on July 28th and the Maple Leaf Parade on October 20th were the three items for which street closure was requested. All items were approved unanimously.

Recoupment Works.

An ordinance designed to help the Police Department recoup expenses for DUI arrests is doing what it was intended to do, according to Police Chief Dennis Veach. Veach reported at a recent Public Safety committee meeting that the ordinance, which has been in effect for approximately one year, has resulted in the recovery of roughly $800 from persons arrested for DUI’s in the City.

The goal of the ordinance was to help alleviate the expense of DUI arrests, including the cost for Breathalyzer tests, blood tests and jail time. All of these items are an expense to the City which previously had been paid for from the Police budget. Last year a new state legislature allowed City governments to establish an ordinance to help recoup these expenses.

The costs include processing at $16.00 per hour for the officer or officers making the arrest, breath test at $20.00, Blood test at $120 when applicable, and incarceration at $40 per day.

Veach said that the approximately $800 was recovered from 14 individual arrests which resulted in incarceration.

And then the real problem struck, I don’t have any idea of how ta turn on the TV without the remote control.

I pulled out the battery, which doesn’t look like it could be bought at the Quick-Trip. I started imaginin’ standin’ in line, fillin’ out a report and havin’ ta wait for three months while they mail a new battery from the manufacturer.

I looked at for a while, put it back in and presto, the remote started workin’ again. Sometimes I amaze myself bein’ able to repair such complicated pieces of equipment.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Click & Clack Talk Cars.
By Tom and Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time, and I thought you might be able to help. When I was a kid growing up in the Bronx, I had a fascination with the emblems on VWs and used to steal them. They popped off easily with a screwdriver. I’m not proud of having done that, and my dad actually had to come get me at the police precinct after I was caught in a hospital parking lot trying to lift one of the emblems off a doctor’s car. I am now in my mid-50’s and would like to be able to purchase the emblems (without the cars attached) in order to re-create my adolescent collection. Any suggestions where to go? - Bob

TOM: Well, you can buy them new, Bob. They’re sold as replacement parts - mostly to VW owners who’ve had their emblems stolen by rotten little kids!

RAY: You can get those new ones from any VW dealer, or find them for sale online from auto-parts stores that do business on the internet.

TOM: But I suspect that what you really want are used VW emblems - ones that have a history, even if you don’t know what that history is. And you probably want a bunch of different ones, from different-size VWs. You want a small one from the Jetta, and a big one from a Microbus.

RAY: You can find those on eBay. Most of them are being sold by rotten little kids who’ve popped them off VWs in hospital parking lots. Maybe if you threaten to turn the kid in, he’ll confess to how he got it, and you’ll be able to relive your entire youth vicariously. Good luck, Bob.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Glory Days Preserved in Racing Museums

This week’s column is dedicated to all the vintage racing organizations,because each one has its own personality in preserving the glory days of the sport.

Recently, I attended the Gary Wolford Fish Fry and Silver Springs Speedway Reunion at the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, near Dillsburg, Pa. Wolford was a standout racer at now-closed Silver Springs Speedway, which is near Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa.

The Latimore Valley Fairground is home to the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. This organization recently announced that the Dean of Motorsports himself, Chris Economaki, is donating his entire book collection to add to an already outstanding collection of vintage race cars and artifacts that are housed in a separate research library room. Included are rare books, documents and photos pertaining to the sport of auto racing. EMMR also features a gift shop full of many great books, videotapes, photos, artist’s prints and many famous race cars.

EMMR is a 100-percent volunteer organization that has no employees and pays no wages. Every hour of service devoted to the organization is the result of someone’s personal generosity, and every dollar contributed is spent for the organization.

Becoming a member of a vintage racing organization is a great way to help preserve the sport we all love so much. Check "Vintage Racing Organizations" on the Internet, and you’ll be surprised what you find.