Did Ya Know... Steadley Elementary School will have an informational meeting with the principal tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Carthage High School auditorium.

Did Ya Know... The VantAge Point and Area Agency On Aging will have a program to help you discover the best colors for you to wear. Both men and women are invited to Northpark Mall on Aug. 22. For information, call 417-627-0600.

Did Ya Know... Sir Slob and The Princess and The Prince Who Wouldn’t Talk will be held at Stone’s Throw Community Theatre Fri., Aug. 22 and Sat., Aug. 23. Both shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. each night. For a reservation, call 358-9665.

Did Ya Know... The Carthage Board of Education accepted resignation of Melody Henderson, and employed teachers Linda L. White, Deborah E. Busby, Donna Maggard, and Beverly Bowers.

This is a genuine horsehair mattress. Every time you sit on it, it whinnies.

"Why on earth didn’t you watch where the ball was going?"

"Because I didn’t think it was going anywhere, sir."

He who laughs, lasts.

73 Prisoners in Jail

continued from yesterday

The jail was built to accommodate about 25 and can be judged if it is over-crowded. The cage where prisoners are kept contains 4 corridors, each about 18 X 5 feet. From each of these corridors open off 3 cells each 6 X 6 feet. In each of 3 of the corridors are 13 men. There is not a cell in the 3 corridors occupied at night by less than 4 and several of them by 5 men. The cells were intended to accommodate 2 prisoners each. There are only 12 cells in the jail and 1 of is a dungeon or blind cell. The officers even use this cell by placing trusty men in it and leaving the door open.

Heat in the cage in this weather is excessive. All day long the sun beats down on the tin roof and the iron cage absorbs the heat. It retains a sufficient quantity to keep the temperature high and make sleep impossible until after midnight. The men strip and lie about on the floors, sometimes almost fainting from the heat.

H.E. Williams Plans for Expansion.

Representatives of H.E.Williams told the Public Works Committee Tuesday afternoon that they plan to hire up to 150 new employees within the next three years.

The Committee was shown plans for modifications to the company’s parking area which would include routing trucks down Hazel approximately 500 feet from Fairview. The new entrance would be located just north of the Ott’s plant. The Committee asked that Assistant City Engineer Joe Butler notify residents along the short stretch of Hazel that might be concerned with the redirection of truck traffic. The H.E. Williams representatives will be at the next Public Works Committee meeting on September 2 in City Hall to answer any questions that might arise.

Committee member Bill Johnson noted that trucks already use a portion of the proposed route to service the Ott’s plant. The new entrance would add approximately 25 trucks a day in traffic for road.

The modifications are designed to reduce the congestion on Fairview during various shift changes at Schreibers, Cyclo Index, and H.E. Williams. Presently, trucks entering and leaving H.E. Williams have to negotiate a tight turn onto Fairview resulting in slowdowns in traffic. With the new arrangement, trucks would pull onto Hazel and move south to Fairview, giving the trucks a better position to flow into traffic.

Although Committee members were supportive of the expansion efforts of the company, they were reluctant to approve the new route without the input of residents along the affected area.

Construct on the parking expansion is ready to begin and the only question is whether the construction should be reinforced for the truck traffic. The entrance would be used for employee vehicles in any event.

The designation of trucks routes does not require a public hearing according to Committee discussion.

Committee member Jackie Boyer stated that she was not opposed to the proposal at all, but would like to give neighbors a chance to see the project before it was finalized.

Street Commissioner Tom Shelley said he didn’t see the project as a problem for his department.

It was projected that most of the truck traffic would occur between eight in the morning and no later than ten in the evening.

The Committee meets every first and third Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. in City Hall.

Affordable Housing Project.

The Economic Development Corporation has requested that the City join them in applying for a State grant to pay for water and waste water lines for an eight acre development of moderate income housing. The not-for-profit corporation has purchased land near the intersection of Buena Vista and 13th Street and plans to build up to twenty-eight single family houses.

John Joiner, of the corporation, told the Public Works Committee last Tuesday that the homes would all be sold and buyers must meet income guidelines to qualify for the purchase.

"This would be a development we call affordable housing," Joiner said. "That is further defined by the Department of Economic Development. Essentially that’s an income of in the neighborhood of $32,700 for our area."

Joiner said that the cost for putting in infrastructure could be as high as $3,500 per home. Adding that amount to the cost of the construction would make the houses too expensive for the market they can serve.

The City’s obligation would be to sponsor the application and to administrate the grant if it was awarded. Joiner felt that the funds already invested by the Economic Development Corporation would cover any matching requirements.

The Committee voted to recommend that the grant process be initiated.

It appears that there may be a new elevator in town. There is strong consideration for installin’ the lift in Memorial Hall. Goin’ from the basement to the balcony.

The cost estimates look to be around $50,000 for the two person model installed and runnin’.

There has yet to be any official decision as to the role of the Hall in the long term. There appears to be some interest in makin’ the structure usable for the immediate future with some investment in new lights and recent upgrades to the air conditionin’/heatin’ system.

The idea of the elevator met with approval from the American Legion which occupies the front of the upstairs floor.

My untrained eye has not yet captured the architectural integrity of the buildin’ as it now stands, but it was assured that the new elevator shaft will keep that intact.

New lighting for the main hall is also in the budget this year. Again there is a concern for the aesthetics of the fixtures.

Hopefully a long-term plan is developed soon.

This is some fact, but mostly, Just Jake Talkin’.

Metcalf Auto

Click and Clack

Dear Tom and Ray: Is the "recommended" break-in period for a new car important? My new Corolla manual says for 1,000 miles I can’t drive faster than 55 mph, can’t drive at steady speeds, etc. It’s a bit frustrating to get a new car and be told that I can’t fully enjoy it for 1,000 miles. What bad things will happen if I ignore these recommendations? - Michael

Tom: Well, you may develop chaffing and itching around your lower extremities, Michael.

Ray: I can tell you the widely accepted theory. The piston rings don’t fit the cylinders absolutely perfectly when the car comes off the assembly line. Why? Because the spaces in between the two are tens of thousandths of an inch. So the break-in period is supposed to be a time in which you drive gently and allow the rings to "seat," or mold themselves perfectly to the exact shapes of the cylinder walls.

Tom: If the rings don’t "seat" well during break-in, the theory is that your car will burn oil later on, because the poorly seated rings will eventually let oil sneak by and get into the cylinders. Is it true? Yeah, probably. Although it’s less true than it used to be.

Ray: So it’s up to you, Mikey. You can have a good time for the first 1,000 miles and take your chances. Or you can show a nose-hair’s worth of restraint and have a good time for the next 199,000. Your call.