Council Split on Fireworks and Liquor.

The City Council voted 5-4 Tuesday evening to postpone a vote on the proposed ordinance that would lift the ban on discharging fireworks within City limits. The justification for the motion by Council member Bill Putnam was that Council member Jim Woestman was absent and wanted to participate in the discussion. Woestman has stated his support for the proposed ordinance at a past Council meeting.

It takes only a simple majority of members present to postpone a vote, but passage of an ordinance requires a majority of the ten elected members, or six. If a vote had been taken and the 5-4 split held, the bill would have failed.

Council members Larry Ross, Jackie Boyer, Jim McPheeters, Bill Putnam, and Don Stearnes voted for the postponement. Chuck Tobrock, Bill Fortune, Ronnie Wells, and J.D. Whitledge voted against.

The maneuver was successful in the instance of the fireworks ordinance, but failed in a separate attempt to postpone a vote on the ordinance that would have reduced the distance allowed between a business selling alcoholic beverages and a church located in a district zoned for business. Boyer and McPheeters joined the previous block of four to oppose the postponement, but voted for the ordinance change. The resulting 5-4 split did not meet the required 6 votes to pass an ordinance.

Public Safety Committee Chair J.D. Whitledge asked that the media urge citizens to contact their Council representatives and express their opinion about lifting the ban on private fireworks in the City.

NASCAR to the Max

NASCAR got a glimpse of its’ future on Sunday with the running of the Atlanta 500 in Atlanta, GA. The top five spots were swept by several of the young guns of the sport with the win going to 1999 Rookie-of-the-Year (ROTY) Tony Stewart. In claiming his 13th career NASCAR victory, Stewart is slowly overcoming the perception of only winning shorter races. This victory marked Stewart’s first 500-mile victory. Stewart’s victory in last summer’s Bristol 500 was a 500-lap feature on a half-mile track and marked his first victory of a 500-lap event. Stewart’s other victories have come in 400-mile or less events. 2000 ROTY Runner Up Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 2002 ROTY Candidate Jimmie Johnson, 2000 ROTY Matt Kenseth, and Ricky Craven chased Stewart to the checkered flag. Craven is the elder statesman of the five at 35, young by NASCAR standards where it is not uncommon for drivers to be competitive into their 50’s. Following a disappointing season opening Daytona 500 where he finished last, Stewart has carded top 5 finishes in the following three races and has moved into 5th place in the season long driver’s points championship standings.

Darlington (South Carolina) Raceway will host this Sunday’s Carolina’s Dodge Dealers 400. Darlington is a 1.366-mile, high-banked, egg shaped oval. Its unique shape was created when the original track owner was unable to buy the necessary property from his neighbor who didn’t want his minnow pond destroyed.

The owner simply designed the track to fit his available property. Because of its design, it is nearly impossible for the teams to set the chassis up perfectly. If the car handles through one set of turns, it doesn’t through the other. Darlington is referred to as "The Track to Tough to Tame."

Very few of the 43 starters will leave without some sort of battle damage caused by contact with other competitors or the outside wall. Multi-car teams, with drivers and crews experienced in making the necessary adjustments throughout the race will be favored including the teams of Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin, Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton.

What a difference a day (and one vote) makes. From all indications, there are now four solid votes against lifting the ban on fireworks in the City. Once again the importance of one vote on the Council is made apparent.

What may not have been apparent is the extra two weeks will give citizens time to contact Council representatives and speak their mind. You may not appreciate the influence a few phone calls can have on those elected to represent the general populace. Make the call. It will only take a minute or two to say yea or nay. It’s a great opportunity to see real democracy in action.

You might consider a letter to the editor also. As long as ya don’t call anyone names, we’ll print it. Have a blast.

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:

I have a Toyota Camry LE V6 with an automatic transmission and a little over 30,000 miles on it. It has been properly maintained.

At about 50 - 60 mph, a high-pitched whine develops in the transmission while the accelerator pedal is depressed. Upon release of the pedal, the noise stops instantly.

The service manager at my Toyota dealership said the whine was coming from the "final drive assembly" and that it was OK for now. He said it was a very rare occurrence. Since the car is still under warranty, what should my next step be? - Henry

Tom: Your next step should be to ask him when he wants you to make an appointment to come in and have your final drive gears replaced, Henry.

Ray: He’s right that it’s very rare. He’s also right that it’s OK for now, in that it’s not going to break suddenly and leave you stranded, or cause some catastrophic safety failure.

Tom: The problem is an improper gear mesh between the ring gear and pinion gear in the differential. Make sure your dealer writes his diagnosis on your service slip, so that you have proof that the problem started during the warranty period. That will ensure that they’ll have to cover it under warranty, no matter how long they manage to put you off.

Ray: Replacing the gears in the final drive is a big job, and they’re not going to like it. Tough, that’s what you have a warranty for.