The City Council Public Works Committee met Tuesday afternoon in City Hall. Land Developer Bill Wilson was present and has submitted his request for another annexation to the City in the Breckenwood subdivision. This is Wilson’s eighth addition that will include sixteen lots.

Wilson mentioned that if a ninth addition were added. It would include seven lots along the lake and would be the final addition to Breckenwood that would exceed his original plan for eighty lots in 1989.

City Administrator Tom Short will meet with City Attorney David Mouton on the guidelines that need to in place concerning the roads for the addition. Wilson will finalize the platt and the plans will be reviewed before going to the City Council.

During the meeting, Tom Short reported on filling the vacancy for a new Director of the Engineering Department. It is being referenced as the Community Development position.

The Public Work’s Committee will recommend a name change for the Engineering Department that would better reflect the departments functions.

NASCAR to the Max

The 2003 season finale’ from Homestead-Miami (FL) Speedway offered many twists before the winner and champion were officially crowned.

Last week’s winner and 1988 Champion Bill Elliott had the car to beat all day. Elliott lead early and often in route to leading 189 of the 267 laps scheduled. The only question that remained as the laps wound down seemed to be Elliott’s margin of victory.

Second place charger Bobby Labonte was being coached by his crew chief Michael McSwain to continue pressing and hope for the best. Just after taking the white flag signaling one lap remaining, Labonte’s wildest dream became Elliott’s worst nightmare as Elliott suffered a blown tire.

The only lap Labonte led all day is the only one that matters; the one where they wave the checkered flag. Elliott faded to eighth and had to walk back to the pits as the remains of his tire caught fire and brought his car to a stop.

Matt Kenseth who claimed the season championship last week suffered a blown engine in the early going and was scored in last (43rd) place. Though Kenseth had a point’s lead of over 400 points in recent weeks, the final margin shows an artificially low 90 point spread between first and second. Kenseth is no doubt glad the season is over and second place Jimmie Johnson wishes there were at least one more race. Kenseth’s championship check from Winston was worth $4.25 Million! Not bad for 36 weeks work. Rounding out the top five were Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick.

Joplin’s own Jamie McMurray brings home the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year trophy. Rookies score points toward the RotY title by virtue of their placing at the respective races in relation to the other rookies. McMurray was the top finishing rookie in 21 races and scored 13 top 10 finishes.

The race marked the end of an era as Winston relinquishes its 33 year sponsorship of the series. Next year’s title sponsor will be Nextel and the series will be known as the Nextel Cup.

I’ve finally accepted the fact that summer is over. I try to delay that conclusion as long as possible, but it’s time to perform the annual fall rituals of puttin’ the wash tub over the lawn mower and drainin’ the water out of the hose. Won’t be long till the leaf rakin’ is an absolute necessity either. Just as a reminder, if ya rake leaves into the storm gutter, they plug up the system and flood the neighbors. Now this may have some appeal to some of you, but it not only isn’t very neighborly, it’s against the law here in Carthage. Even with the new high powered street sweeper it’s tough to plow through a four foot stack a leaves.

Ya might see some big piles of leaves in the street, but the street department usually stacks ‘em up to pick up later in the day in a truck so they don’t wash into the drain system. Burnin’ is still more fun and legal.

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 son and his friends sometimes sit for an hour or two in my 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis. They sit with the motor off, listening to the radio with the key in the accessory position.

They usually do this on Friday or Saturday evenings instead of coming inside and going to bed. Will listening to the car radio for two hours drain the battery? Should I chase them out of the car and tell them to go the mall instead? — Ed

TOM: Absolutely not! This is exactly where you want them. I’m sure there are parents out there who would love to know that their teenage kids are right out in the driveway listening to the radio, instead of doing who knows what. This is a blessing, Ed.

RAY: The battery life will be fine. Unless you have one of those 5,000-watt master blasters — which we rarely see on Grand Marquis — they’d have to run the radio all night, and then some, to run down the battery to the point where the car wouldn’t start.

TOM: And even if they did, say, accidently leave it on all night and kill the battery, it wouldn’t do any permanent damage. You wouldn’t have to buy a new battery. You’d simply have to jump-start the car, and then drive around to charge it up. Once you did that, everything would be fine again.

RAY: But under no circumstances would I throw the boys out of the car. It’s kind of charming that they like pretending they’re older and driving around listening to the radio. And unlike in future years, there’s an extremely low likelihood they’ll crack up your car while it’s parked in the driveway, Ed. So enjoy these good old days while they last.