Long Standing Practice Overturned.

City Attorney Nate Dally yesterday overturned a long standing practice of the City Council. For recent memory the following sentence in the Carthage City Code has been intrurpreted literally. The Mayor has not been counted as a "member elected to the Council."

"No ordinances shall be passed except by bill, and no bill shall become an ordinance unless on its final passage a majority of members elected to the council shall vote therefor, and the yeas and the nays shall be entered on the journal."

Dally made the decision concerning the vote last Tuesday evening to allow the sale of liquior beginning at 9 a.m. on Sundays rather than the current time of 1 p.m.

Council member Charlie Bastin questioned the vote of Mayor Mike Harris on the 5-5 tie vote on the question during the meeting.

Dally cites the City Charter which states: "The Mayor shall be president of the Council and shall preside over same, but shall not vote except in case of a tie in said Council, when he shall cast the deciding vote."

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Mac Wins the Cheese

Jamie McMurray’s victory in the Bank of America 500 represented a charge he leads alone.

McMurray didn’t make the Chase for the Sprint Cup. What he has done is win three of the season’s prestigious events. Earlier in the season, McMurray won the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400.

In 2007-2008, Chase drivers won all 10 Chase races. McMurray broke that string by winning the autumn 2009 race at Talladega and did it again on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In other words, there is life outside the Chase. Mainly it resides in the cockpit of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy.

McMurray’s Chevy outran Kyle Busch’s Toyota in the late stages of the Bank of America 500.

"After coming so close (second) in the (Coca-Cola) 600 earlier in the season, I really felt like anything less than winning (at Charlotte) would have been disappointing," said McMurray. "We had such a great car in the spring, and it just wasn’t good enough on the short run.

"Man, it was just our night. Our car was unbelievable those last 25 or 30 laps. It was effortless to drive, and it had a lot of speed in it. It was just a really good night for us."

McMurray’s first Cup victory occurred in the same race eight years earlier. What he has learned in the past two years, in particular, is the power of prayer.

"I just wanted it to be understood that, after the season that I had, or the last four years I had, I found the power of prayer, and that it’s something that I really believe in," he said after winning at CMS. "When I got to victory lane in Daytona, that’s what I was thinking about. You know, I was crying, obviously because I was happy, but also because you feel like a prayer has been answered."

McMurray said he was praying during the final 10 laps.

"I was like, you know, if I win this race, Lord, if You don’t throw a caution, is what I said, and I win this race, I’m going to explain to people my feelings and why I felt that way."

I suppose there are a few limbs down after the wind came through the other day, but I haven’t seen any major effect on the tree population. The big storm that came through a couple years ago musta pretty well pruned out the not so healthy variety.

Those that made it through the big wind prob’ly grew a little stronger to be ready for the next attempt by nature to weed out the weaker growth.

Seems no one is comfortable when the storm is occurin’, but sometimes it takes a clap a thunder or two to wake folks up.

Usually the storm isn’t near as bad as some would like ya ta think, but the debris usually is a good indication. After the clean up, the standin’ timber is in better position to hold its ground.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Columns

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

I’ve got a Buick - a geezer car because I’m a geezer. It’s wonderful at eliminating road rage, because it is completely incompetent at driving aggressively. The ride is mushy, and the mileage is mediocre. In other words, it’s absolutely perfect. Except for one thing: When it is cold, the normally speedy electric window creeps up and down. It moves so slowly that I have to start lowering the window a half-mile before a highway toll. So my question is, what can I plug into the cigarette-lighter slot that will boost the power to the window motor? A cattle prod? A Tazer? I don’t want a whole second battery. I’d like a more elegant solution, and hopefully a less expensive one. -Bill

Tom: Well, inexpensive might be tough in this case, Bill And you definitely came to the wrong guys if you want elegant!

Ray: the two things I’d suspect would be the window motor and the window regulator.

Tom: Me, too. And since you want to shoot for a thrifty solution, start by asking a mechanic to remove the driver’s door panel and lubricate the window regulator for you.

Ray: The window regulator is the mostly metal contraption inside the door that holds the glass in place and physically moves it up and down. Window regulators often old and dried out and bound up. Kind of like my brother.

Tom: sometimes just giving them a good cleaning and lubrication will make a tremendous difference.

Ray: Just like my brother!

Tom: You may need a new regulator or motor, or both.