Today's Feature

Unqualified O.K.

The City received it’s first absolutely "clean" audit in decades this year. The City Council was informed at the regular Council meeting last Tuesday by Andy Marmouget, CPA.

The City of Carthage has always fared well in its annual accounting audits. For recent memory, there has always been that recommendation from the auditors that the report should also include the Carthage Water and Electric Plant and the McCune Brooks Hospital. These entities are after all City owned facilities and belong on the City books the auditors argued.

This year the auditors also asked that the Carthage Public Library be included. The fact that the Mayor appoints the Library Board was the reasoning supported by accounting standards. Unlike CW&EP and McCune Brooks, the City does not own the Library.

This year, all of the entities were included in the City audit and the auditors were pleased.

"I’d like to congratulate the City on that," said Marmouget.

Mornin'

I’ve gotten into a couple a conversations ‘bout the trials of bein’ a kid in the last week or two. Not the stuff ya hear about taday, the important trials like fallin’ off a bike or gettin’ hit with a baseball.

I suppose as a kid we didn’t think much of a broken arm or a sprained ankle as bein’ anything that devastatin’. That’s why takin’ some risks while at play was so common. I was shown scars ta prove it.

I suppose I was fortunate that durin’ these conversations there were plenty of stories bein’ told and I didn’t get the chance to relay any of my own. I always thought of my childhood as bein’ filled with some adventure or another, but it seems it was pretty typical of the times. But even today skinned knees are pretty good teachers.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1998 Ford Expedition with 150,000 miles. My wife takes it in every three months for an oil change. During the past two oil changes, she was told that there was no oil on the dipstick. They removed what oil was remaining, and replaced it with five new quarts. I checked it myself before we went on a trip. The dipstick had no oil on it, and it took four quarts to get it full again. Where is the oil going, and what should I do? - Sherd

TOM: It’s going out the tailpipe, Sherd. What should you do? See it you can get the Exxon Valdez to follow you around.

RAY: Your engine’s worn out, Sherd. If there’s no oil under the truck, then your burning it. If you stand near the tailpipe when your wife starts it up, you’ll almost certainly see a puff of bluish smoke.

TOM: You have two choices. One is to install a rebuilt or used engine. If the truck otherwise is in extraordinarily good shape, and you want to keep it for another 50,000 miles, that’s an option.

RAY: But before you do that, be sure to have your mechanic check it out from stem to stern. You don’t want to spend $3,000 on a rebuilt engine and then have the transmission fall out the next day.

TOM: The other option is to just trade it in. With gas prices certain to trend upward, this may be a good time to reconsider whether your wife really needs a car as big as a cabin cruiser for her everyday needs.