Council Opposes Amendment No. 2.


The Carthage City Council voted unanimously to accept a resolution that opposes Amendment No. 2 of the Missouri Constitution. The amendment will appear on the November 5 ballot. It would allow municipal fire fighters and ambulance personnel to enter into collective bargaining if they are unionized.

The Council previously voted in favor of Amendment No. 4 that would allow city utilities to enter into cooperative arrangements with other city utilities and still remain under local control. The CW&EP Board also supports Amendment No. 4.

The Council approved the annexation of property on Chapel Road as requested by Poto Investment.

Council member Jim Woestman reported to the Council that a survey of the downtown area shows there are nineteen retail stores, forty-seven service businesses, and thirteen vacancies.

"Percentage-wise," said Woestman, "we’re talking twenty-three percent retail, fifty-nine percent service, and sixteen percent vacancies. And I can assure you people are working hard on this."

NASCAR to the Max

Sunday’s running of the Old Dominion 500 from Martinsville (VA) Speedway appeared to be anybodies day but Kurt Busch’s. Busch qualified near the rear of the 43-car field in 36th. Busch’s day took a turn from bad to worse during the race when contact with Jeff Gordon spun him out and he lost several positions as a result. Busch’s team kept making adjustments on his car and with much persistence Busch had scratched and clawed his way into contention. During a caution period with 91 laps remaining, Busch’s crew got him back on the track in first place, which he never relinquished. Johnny Benson made sure Busch had to work for the win as Benson pressured Busch over the final ten laps and even bumped Busch’s already battered ride a few times just to be sure Busch knew that he was waiting to pounce should he make a mistake. The win marked Busch’s second win of his career and the season. Busch’s win from the 36th starting position is the furthest a winner has come at Martinsville since 1959 when Lee Petty won from the 24th position. Busch also joins the elite group of Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Junior Johnson as the only drivers to win twice before their 25th birthday.

The top-five in the season’s point’s championship all finished in the top 15 enabling Tony Stewart to maintain his points lead. Jimmie Johnson did close the gap to 82 points however. Rusty Wallace took 4th from Ryan Newman with Newman dropping to 5th only three markers behind Wallace. 177 points separates the top five with only four events remaining. The series’ heads to the fastest track on the circuit, Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday. The track is a 1.54-mile high-banked oval. Qualifying speeds will likely be over 195 mph with average lap speeds during the race of over 190 mph. Joe Gibbs Racing team mates, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, have won the last two races here with Stewart looking to extend his points lead with a strong finish among the 43 starters.

I hate ta mention it this early, but if ya wanna be in the Christmas parade, you need to get your application from Main Street Carthage. Unlike Christmas, the parade is only ‘bout a month away on Monday December 2. This year’s theme is "Unwrap the Spirit of the Season." The parade is a cooperative effort between SkillsUSA-VICA and Main Street.

As you prob’ly notice from the ads this week, the Mud Flats Jubilee is startin’ up this Friday evenin’. The "open stage" portion of the show is open to anyone with the guts ta get on stage. From what I’m hearin’, there are several local musicians plannin’ to show up. Vocalists will likely be able to find someone to back ‘em up. ‘Course havin’ an appreciative audience is where the fun is, and, there is no charge for admission.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click & Clack
TALK CARS

By Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom & Ray:

I’m having no luck convincing my wife that the chattering produced by her ‘99 Chevy Cavalier (30,000 miles, lots of brake pad left) when it rains is absolutely normal and not life-threatening. Despite my accurate call that the intermittent braking noise (only when wet) stops after lightly riding the brakes, and thus drying them, she feels that catastrophe can ONLY be averted by taking the car to an "expert" and writing a check for his sage advice. Help me out, guys, and give a totally discounted husband’s diagnosis some credibility. — Dave

RAY: Dave, your wife might have very good reasons for discounting your diagnosis. So we can’t bail you out without knowing your track record.

TOM: For instance, what if your last diagnosis was "just the tire rubbing against the wheel well, hon." And it turned out to be a bad ball joint, the wheel fell off and your wife drove into a vegetable cart? Then we might sympathize with her desire for an expert opinion.

RAY: But you might be right, Dave. Drum brakes are notorious for "grabbing" when they’re wet. So if this car has drums in the rear, they could be grabbing the first time you stop. And the chattering you hear is the anti-lock brake system kicking in to keep the rear wheels from locking up.

TOM: So if you have drum brakes in the rear and this only happens the first time you drive the car after a rain, then chances are you’re right, Dave.

RAY: But if it happens more often than that, or if you have disc brakes in the back (which was an option on this car), then I think it’s worth taking the car to the dealer and having the brakes checked and the ABS sensors scanned.