Swingle-Neil To Run Again.

Jasper County Recorder Edie Swingle Neil has announced that she will seek another term of office. Neil had earlier announced she would not run for office again.

"From the beginning, I felt like it wasn’t the right decision in deciding not to seek another term of office," says Neil. "When I would talk about it I found myself making excuses for something I didn’t have my heart in. Now that I have decided to run for re-election, I feel that it is the right choice."

Neil will have served four four-year terms going into the primary next August. She first took office in January , 1987. In that time period, the office has expanded from an annual income of $167,000 to over $350,000 according to Neil.

"The voters of Jasper County have re-elected me for three additional term," said Neil. "I feel they want experience in the office and see the experience I have to offer."

Neil says she has completed over 300 hours of training over the years specifically for the recorder. She says she is anxious to put her experience back into place in serving the citizens of Jasper County.

NASCAR to the Max

Charlotte, NC is the site of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway and the home of this week’s UAW-GM Quality 500. LMS is a 1-½ mile, high-banked speedway. Unlike Kansas Speedway last weekend, LMS has multiple grooves, or lanes, of racing. There are several good opportunities to pass and side-by-side racing can be expected.

Jeff Burton won the 600-mile Memorial Weekend race and Jeff Gordon won a non-points paying event the weekend prior. Of the other 41 entrants that will start the race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Bobby Labonte, and Kevin Harvick will be drivers to watch as the race progresses.

Though the weather was perfect, the facility was brand new and the stands were packed, all last weekends race at Kansas Speedway lacked was excitement. The race was slowed by 13 caution periods for 70 laps or over 25% of the race distance.

With the racing surface being new, a second groove never wore in which led to little door to door racing and passing on the track. Most lead changes occurred during caution periods as a result of pit strategy or quick pit stops. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wrecked after a tire blew out and Bill Elliott had a blown engine, which sent them both home after leading significant portions of the race. Jeff Gordon eventually won the almost 4 hour event and extended his points lead over Ricky Rudd, who finished third, back to 222 points with eight races to go. A fourth place finish or better in each remaining race will give Gordon the championship regardless of Rudd’s finishes.

Silly Season, so called because of driver changes and the rumors of changes, is well under way.

Jeremy Mayfield, driver of the number 12 Penske Racing Ford, was unexpectedly relieved of his duties effective immediately. Mayfield was highly critical of his team last weekend, though team owner Penske gave no explanation of his release nor has a driver to replace Mayfield been named. Mike Skinner has contracted for 2002 with Morgan-McClure as expected. Jimmy Spencer has said he is leaving the Travis Carter Team at year’s end.

Note for Note.

sponsored by Main Street Mercantile

The Johnson Family Bluegrass.

Led by Grandpa Johnson and supported by musicians from 8 years old and up, their show has the best connection to the audience you've ever seen. It all began like this:

Several years ago a little musical band was formed in the living room of the childhood home. Sitting at their daddy's knee, four children were taught to sing and play different kinds of acoustic instruments. This band was eventually known as the Johnson Family Bluegrass.

With music being a part of their everyday life, the Johnson family developed a unique blend of Bluegrass style music which includes a variety of rhythms and harmony.

Good wholesome family fun accompanies this family band and offers listening pleasure to anyone with a taste for clean, fresh Bluegrass.

Woodsong, Sounds of the Past.

Lloyd & Joyce Woods and their group Woodsong, Sounds of the Past, are joined by Randy Corbin, Darrell Anderson, Chris Johnson and an occasional 'step-on' musician. Their mix of unusual wacky songs, comfortable old standards and quick wit makes their concert more like being in someone's house than at a show.

I find it a little amazing that you can get through an entire box of soda crackers and not find any broken ones. They don’t appear to have any unusual protection in the packaging and I’m sure they receive a good deal of handling from the oven to the store.

However, I typically break more than a few gettin’ the package open.

There was a time when I would crumple up a handful of crackers in my chili. As I matured, I find I now enjoy the ritual of spreadin’ a little butter on the wafers and leavin’ the chili in it’s original state.

A buddy a mine insists that the reason he crumpled crackers on his salad was from eatin’ at roadside greasy spoons. He said the tidbits bring a crunch back to wilted lettuce that’s set for a couple a hours.

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 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera has been a great car for 50,000 miles. I’m wondering if it could be made to handle a little better. It’s a little bouncy and it sways a little when it corners. Do you think if I got the right combination of new tires and shocks it would corner like a Corvette? And if it starts handling like a Corvette, will women suddenly become more interested in me? Or do I need to start smoking a pipe and wearing a smoking jacket and ascot for that? -AJ

RAY: My brother used to wear an ascot. But then he got his ascot in the fan one day, and that was the end of that.

TOM: You can’t make this handle like a Corvette, AJ! C’mon! This car doesn’t have a very sophisticated suspension to begin with. It doesn’t have four-wheel independent suspension, nor does it have a particularly stiff chassis. So no matter what you do to it, no one’s ever going to mistake it for a sports car.

RAY: However, new tires and "working" shocks will make a big difference if you need them. So that’s the place to invest some money if you feel it used to handle better than it does now. But get someone to check the shocks and tires for you first.

TOM: One other important thing about the Corvette, AJ. We’ve discovered through meticulous research that Corvettes ( and cars like them), contrary to popular belief, do not attract the attention of women. They tend to attract the attention of men, who THINK they attract the attention of women. Women tend to be frightened or intimidated by them.

RAY: Don’t get me wrong. This Cutlass Ciera of yours is no babe magnet. But if you really want women’s attention get something cute like a Miata, RAV 4, or a puppy.