Today's Feature

No Smoking Rule Approved.

The Carthage City Council met Tuesday evening in a regular session. Council approved a park rule for the Fair Acres Sports Complex which prohibits smoking beyond the parking lot. Council member and Public Services Committee chairman Claude Newport presented the item to Council during committee reports.

Under the rule, signs would be posted that designate where smoking is not allowed, and if a person continues smoking beyond that point they would be asked to stop. If the offender does not stop smoking the Police department may be called, who would ask the offender to leave the premises. Trespassing charges may be filed if the offender does not comply. Newport added that the Little League would pay for the signs.

Council member Tom Flanigan asked who would be in charge of calling the Police if someone broke the rule.

"Who’s in charge?" asked Flanigan. "You’re just going to have someone there calling the cops?"

Parks Director Alan Bull said that a League official would be present and could be in charge of calling the police.

Council member Mike Harris said that he had issues with the rule. Harris said that he felt smoking was a partial freedom, and that no rules had been made prohibiting smoking anywhere else in the City.

"To start with no smoking in the middle of a large pasture doesn’t make sense," said Harris.

City Administrator Tom Short said that the request was originally made to the Public Services Committee by Carthage Little League President Jeff Jones, who felt that smoking on the field set a bad example for the children that play there.

The rule was approved by a 6-3 vote. Those in favor included Council members Claude Newport, Larry Ross, Bill Fortune, Dan Rife, Bill Johnson and Diane Sharits. Those opposed included Council members Mike Harris, Cyndi Curry and Tom Flanigan.

The Council also approved an ordinance removing the 65-year age limit for City Police Officers, an ordinance authorizing tax abatement incentives for Schrieber Foods for construction and expansion of existing facilities, and an ordinance approving a settlement agreement with Sprint for back taxes.

Mornin’
Carthage has made it’s first step into the "non-smokin’" arena. The sports arena that is. Three council members opposed the ban on smokin’ at the Fair Acres ball fields. I’m not sure ‘bout all three, but I know two of ‘em are non-smokers. Their opposition was founded more on personal freedom type issues from what I hear. At least one I spoke with felt the new policy was "slipped" by without much chance for public input.

The Public Services Committee, which oversees the parks system, does have the authority to set policy for the parks. The item was brought before the Council as a courtesy for Council input. Some members felt the item shoulda been on the agenda so citizens could also have a say too. We’ll hear from citizens firsta ball season I suppose.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Click & Clack Talk Cars
By Tom & Ray Magliozzi

I recently had my 1994 Toyota Camry XLE in for a front exhaust leak. The main symptom was a muffled noise coming from the front. After the repair, I still heard the noise, though not as bad. And call me crazy, but I feel light-headed and dizzy, and I have a weird feeling in my throat. Could they have done something wrong with the repair and now carbon monoxide is leaking into my car? Is there a way to test for a carbon monoxide leak in the car? -Kelly

TOM: Kelly, if you’re still alert and conscious by the time you read this, go to a hardware store with your windows rolled down, and buy a carbon monoxide (CO) detector for your car.

RAY: For 20 bucks, you can get a battery-powered one. Put it in your car, let the car run for 10 minutes (without you in it), and then check the reading. I’m guessing you’ve got CO.

TOM: You’ve got all the symptoms: Dizziness. Light-headedness. Writing to me and my brother for advice!

RAY: Carbon monoxide is deadly stuff, Kelly. It’s also invisible, odorless and tasteless. So the only way to know whether it’s present is with a CO detector, or via autopsy (we’re assuming you prefer the former option).

TOM: The noise you were hearing was exhaust escaping, under pressure, from a cracked exhaust manifold under the hood. And it’s certainly possible that your mechanic botched the job. He may have been wrong about where the leak was coming from, he could have replaced your manifold with a used one that was also cracked, or he may just be a moron, like my brother.

RAY: Exactly! We’re everywhere, you know!

TOM: So get it back to him right away. Like today. Like now. And leave all the windows down when you drive it there. After he fixes it, test it for CO again - right at his shop, before you drive it away.

RAY: And when you’re convinced that your car is completely CO-Free, take the detector you bought and give it a new home in your bedroom, Kelly. Good luck. And don’t wait. Seriously.