A New Place For Junk Mail.

The City recycling drop-off center will begin accepting a larger variety of types of paper products today. A new contract approved by the Council with Midwest Fibre is expected to minimize the cost to the City according to Directory of Engineering Joe Butler.

Butler says that the recycling portion of the activities at the City’s former landfill cost less than $10,000 last year. He is hopeful that with the City receiving a portion of the revenue from recyclable sales the center could be a break even proposition.

The placement of covered containers will allow the collection of office paper, magazines, catalogs, and mixed paper such as junk mail or phone books.

The center has accepted cardboard, newsprint, tin and aluminum cans, and #1 and #2 plastics for the last two years. A grant from the Region M Solid Waste District helped fund the first year of operation, with the City bearing most of the cost of the service the second year.

The Center is located at the old City Landfill, 1309 Oak Hill Road. Hours are 9:30 until 4:30 Tuesday through Saturday.

Tax Assistance Program Available.

news release Area Agency on Aging

Assistance in completing and filing basic Federal and Missouri State income tax forms is available through the Tax Counciling for the Elderly (TCE) program sponsored by the Area Agency on Aging.

Tax counselors are also trained to provide assistance in filing for Missouri Senior Tax Credit and the prescription rebate.

Missouri residents age 65 or older who meet income guidelines are eligible for these refunds.

Volunteer tax counselors are scheduled through April 15 at the following locations:

• Over 60 Center, 404 E. 3rd St., Carthage, 9 a.m.-noon, Tuesdays.

• The VantAge Point, Northpark Mall, Joplin, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon. and Wed.

• Joplin Senior Center, 22nd and Jackson St., 9 a.m.-noon, Fridays.

• Webb City Senior Center, 210 Pennsylvania, 9 a.m.-noon, Thursdays.

There is no charge for the service. Precedence is given to seniors, although people of all ages are eligible for assistance as time permits.

This tax assistance program is provided through a grant from the Internal Revenue Service.

For more information, call the VantAge Point at (417) 627-0600.

It’s good ta see that the recyclin’ center is expandin’ its capabilities. What’s even better is ta see it gettin’ to the place that it might pay for itself.

Now I know there are folks that would want ya ta remember that hours of operation have expanded and the City plans on puttin’ a more substantial buildin’ on the site. If I’m rememberin’ right, about $50,000 worth a buildin’. If you’ve been out to the center I’m sure ya won’t argue with the need for somethin’ more than a shack ta house equipment and the one man crew supervisin’ the site. It all makes it hard to pinpoint the exact cost of the recyclin’ portion of the operation, but overall the service is a small portion of the expense. A good service for a little money, hard ta come by these days.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

by Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

My 1988 Nissan 200SX gave me quite a scare. I turned the ignition key and it sounded like the motor was already running. I sat there for a minute thinking that I had left my car running. No, I had the keys with me. I turned the key again and it started immediately.

This happened again about a week later to a mechanic when I had my car in the muffler shop. This was three weeks ago and it hasn’t happened since. What could it be? Will this get worse, quit happening or should I get to a repair shop? Lea

TOM: Well, I have good news and bad news, Lea. The good news is that you’re not losing your mind; you had not left your car running when you turned the key.

RAY: The bad news is that after you hear the diagnosis, you’re going to wish you had left the car running.

TOM: You’ve got a bad ring gear on your flywheel, Lea. When you turn the key to start the car, a little gear on the starter meshes with a big gear (the ring gear) on the flywheel. And turning that flywheel is what starts the engine. The problem is that the gear on your flywheel has some broken teeth.

RAY: Has it been eating at my mother’s house lately?

TOM: When you turn off the engine, and the flywheel happens to stop in just the wrong place (where the broken teeth are perfectly lined up with the starter gear), you get that horrible gnashing noise next time you turn the key. And if you’re lucky the gnashing is enough to move the flywheel a couple of degrees; just enough so on the next try, the starter hits some good teeth and the car starts right up.