There is a three way race for the two year position for City Council in Ward 3. Candidates are Steve Liebbrand, Stanley Walker and Diane Sharits.

There is a two way race for the two year City Council term in Ward 5. Current Council Member Jim Woestman is running for another term. Lujene Clark is also running for the position.

Mike Harris is running for the two year City Council term in Ward 1. Council Member Ronnie Wells is running for a two year City Council term in Ward 2. Council Member Ron Ferguson is running for the two year City Council term in Ward 4. And Bill Welch is running for the one year City Council term in Ward 4.

There are four candidates running for two open positions on the Carthage R-9 School Board. Candidates are Dan Beck, Curtis Bell and Dr. Mark Catron and Current President Neel Baucom. One of the open positions was vacated by Steve Montaque.

Most folks I’ve talked to don’t like workin’ with plumbin’. There’s good reason for that.

For those of us who don’t deal with pipes goin’ this way and that, fixin’ the problem isn’t near as bad as fixin’ the problems we create will on our way to gettin’ the original problem solved.

First there are those essential tools needed to work on plumbin’. There is this special wrench for takin’ the nut loose on the bottom of a sink for instance. If ya got one, or know a neighbor who does, the job is pretty simple. Without it there are hours of twistin’ and turnin’, and that’s just to get your hand on the nut to figure out where it is. ‘Course ya always have a bag of rubber washers, but none of the right size. Better do plumbin’ when the hardware is open.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Spring Cleaning

Welcome to April! You’ve survived a brutally cold winter this year, thanks to continuous home maintenance (and a few improvements you added last summer, of course). Now it’s time to throw open the hatches, as it were, and get ready for the warm season.

Do you predict that an overwhelming amount of work will be necessary? Don’t fret. Home repair and maintenance is a year-round task. Spring is a great time to make (or schedule) repairs to damage done over the winter, to start those outdoor projects you’ve been planning to do for years, and to plan for improvements in later months.

Spring cleaning sounds like a trite custom, but it’s a great way to organize the house and see what needs to be done. On a sunny day, open the windows and let fresh air and natural light flood the house as you clean dust out of the corners and pack up winter clothes. Sort through household clutter and decide what to keep, what to store and what to throw away. Note any interior damage that occurred over the winter: water damage to the ceiling, perhaps, or drywall punctured by a wayward piece of furniture.

In the workshop and around the exterior of the house, do the same type of cleaning and sorting. Scrub dirt and rust off of winter tools (like your trusty snow shovel), put a light coat of oil on them and store them out of the way. Bring out tools you’ll need for yard work and home repair, and make sure they’re ready to use (rust-free and operating) and easy to access. Uncover lawn furniture or bring it out of storage, and inspect it for damage or deterioration. Check the exterior masonry (sidewalks, driveway, walls and so on) for cracks or other damage.

If the danger of hard frost is past, turn on the outside faucets. Hook up the garden hoses and turn on the water to check them for leaks; patch or replace them if necessary. If you have a sprinkler system, inspect each head and scrub away rust and clogging debris with soapy water and a wire brush.

Climb onto the roof and inspect it for damage caused by falling branches, ice and so on. Schedule repairs to the roof as soon as possible. Check gutters and downspouts to see if they’re clogged by debris, and schedule a day to clear them and check for additional damage.