Today's Feature

False Police Report.

(News release from the Carthage Police Department) At 7:52 AM, 03-28-08, a 911 call was made to the police department indicating a 16-year old female was missing from in front of an apartment complex in the west side of Carthage. Patrol officers, investigators and school resource officer responded and began investigating. At approximately 9:45 AM the juvenile was located at a residence just west of the city. It was reported by the juvenile that she had been abducted by two men and taken outside of the city. It was determined through investigation that this did not occur and that she had, in fact, left the apartment complex voluntarily. She was subsequently detained by Jasper County Juvenile Court authorities for filing a false police report and transported to the Jasper County Juvenile Detention Center in Joplin.

Public Works Meeting.

City Council Public Works Committee will hold its bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday April 1 at 4:00 P.M. in the Public Works Department building, 623 E. 7th St.

Items on the agenda will be discussions on changes at the Recycling Center.

Mornin

I drove an old Chevy pick-up durin’ the time I was in school. "Course that was several decades ‘fore drivin’ a pick-up was considered to be any kind of "cool" thing ta do. It was a 6-cylinder three speed.

A friend a mine had a two-door hard top with a decent sized V-8 and he would always kid me about the machine I drove.

One early spring day, I yelled the typical "ya wanna race that piece a junk" and he of course laughed and said sure.

As we acted out our staged "race", a black hot rod whizzed past us and slid sideways into a field. No one was hurt.

The fact is, no matter how controlled and staged an event is, there is always the possibility of some wild man strutin’ his stuff and ignore the rules of the game. I think they are the originators of the term "Jerks".

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

Circuit Tester a Must for Electrical Work

Q: I would like to purchase a circuit tester for my tool kit, but I’m a little confused. I see three types at the hardware store -- a small, cheap-looking tester; one that looks like a pen; and a fairly expensive type called a multitester. Which is the best type for a home toolkit? -- Joseph B., Houston

A: What’s the best type for your home? Well, you should really have the first two on your list. The cheap-looking circuit tester -- an item with two wires capped by metal probes on one end, and a light on the other end -- is an essential safety item. With it, you can check to make sure no electrical current is traveling through a circuit before doing a repair.

A continuity tester -- the one that looks like a pen, with a needle-like probe at one end and a wire protruding from the other end capped by a metal alligator clip -- creates a miniature electrical circuit for testing current-carrying items. A battery is installed inside the "pen" cartridge to supply power. To test a fuse, for example, the alligator clip is attached or held to one end of the fuse and the needle probe touched to the other end. A light inside the cartridge illuminates if the circuit is completed, meaning the fuse works. The continuity tester is useful for a variety of repairs to make sure parts will carry current.

The multitester (or multimeter) not only checks the continuity of a circuit, but also provides a more precise reading for different types of circuits to find out what level of voltage or amperes they carry. For most minor installations and repairs, such as fixtures and switches, the multitester would only be used to check continuity. Measuring continuity (or resistance) of volts or amps in a circuit is a task for those much more experienced with electrical repairs. If you decide to invest in a multitester, get the best available and become very familiar with its operation.

In all three cases, be sure that power to the circuit being tested is turned off at the main panel. (The multitester can measure a live circuit, but I don’t recommend that task for those inexperienced with electrical repairs.)