Today's Feature

McGregor Bridge Pondered.

The Public Works Committee met yesterday to discuss alternatives for the McGregor Street bridge.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler led the discussion and told the committee that he had researched approximate preliminary numbers for the repair of the bridge.

Wampler told the committee that re-decking the bridge would cost approximately $40,000 to $45,000. To have the wooden deck replaced with new treated lumber and new asphalt poured would cost approximately $80,000 to $85,000 according to Wampler. A more expensive but more thorough option would be to have the existing wood decking replaced with metal decking, which Wampler told the committee could cost anywhere from $75,00 to $85,000. Another option would be to barricade the road and re-route traffic. According to Wampler this action would cost approximately $25,00 to $5,000.

The committee made no decision but said that Wampler should relay these approximate figures to the Budget/Ways and Means Committee to determine what amount of funding would be available for repairs.

Ever had one a those perfect days when ever’thing goes just the way ya think it ought to and absolutely nothin’ goes wrong?

Yea, me either.

They say hardship builds character. I suppose that’s why there are so many characters in these parts.

I have never figured out why we think it’s so funny when someone slips on the ice or bangs their head. Course it’s pretty hard ta figure out why anything is funny. For some reason, a joke can be funny one time but after a while it gets really old. If it was funny the first time, why isn’t it when ya hear it later?

Then it’s only really funny when it’s told by you.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

Do you know of any sudden-acceleration problems with Subaru vehicles? My 2004 Outback suddenly accelerated, on its own, while my foot was on the brake. I had to stand on the brake to avoid surging ahead into traffic. It continued at super-high revs when placed in Park, then subsided on its own. Subaru claims ignorance, even though I found several similar complaints online. I wondered if you have any clues. - Jaye.

TOM: This continues to be a controversial issue, Jaye. And Subaru is not the only manufacturer to hear these sorts of complaints.

RAY: The simplest cause is someone accidentally stepping on the gas pedal when intending to step on the break.

TOM: Obviously, if you put it in Park and take your feet off the pedals, and the engine is still revving high, that’s not the problem. Another cause of unintended acceleration is an old-fashioned sticking throttle. In fact, Subaru had a problem on some six-cylinder Legacys and WRXs a few years ago.

RAY: And then there are more mysterious causes of the "UA". These are the cases in which the computer is suspected. The fact is, every car built these days has computerized engine controls. One of those controls allows the computer to open the car’s airway beyond the throttle. This allows the computer to adjust the idle speed.

TOM: Since it can adjust the idle speed on its own, it theoretically has the ability to malfunction.

RAY: Unfortunately, this is notoriously hard to diagnose unless your mechanic can actually catch it in the act. Ask your dealer to keep the car for a few days and get the service manager to drive it home. With a little luck the problem will happen to him and he’ll be motivated to fix it.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Hammond: Moving Southern 500 A Mistake

Fox TV racing analyst Jeff Hammond began his career in NASCAR in 1974 working as a tire changer for Walter Ballard. Hammond then served on all three of Cale Yarborough’s Winston Cup championship seasons. Hammond joined Fox Sports at the end of the 2000 Winston Cup season and partnered with Chris Myers to host the weekly pre-race show from the famed "Hollywood Hotel," located near Victory Lane at each Nextel Cup track.

Hammond also is a principal owner of The Pit Instruction and Training (PIT) and "5 Off 5 On" Race Team Performance training centers in Mooresville, N.C.

ZYLA: Do you like NASCAR’s new impound rule after qualifying?

HAMMOND: Impound rules work well with the Busch and Truck series, but I have some reservations about the Cup rule. We should allow these Cup teams to get the car as good as they can get it. Allow them to work on it as best they can to give the fans the best show out there. I worry about what a race could turn into.

ZYLA: How about the history of the sport. We’ve lost the annual Labor Day Darlington Southern 500 — NASCAR’s very first superspeedway race dating back to 1950. Was it wrong to eliminate the Labor Day event and move the date?

HAMMOND: Yes, I think so. We have given up one of our most historic and valuable races in the Southern 500. I have a hard time looking at Darlington racing any time other than Labor Day weekend. It would be like switching the Indy 500 from May to October. Sometimes, we’ve got to hold on to tradition.

Senior News
By Pam Madole
Sponsored by Generations

Stress and your health

Stress is different for everyone, we now know many health conditions are inherited. The ability to handle stressful situations is effected not only through the environment but also your genes.

Daily hassles are a reoccurring stress. Many people have financial related stress when the dollar requirements don’t meet the need. Besides money, traffic, the weather, crime, noise and pollution are part of the environment that create more stress. What about relationships? Perhaps you have a co-worker or neighbor that irritates you or you have a family member that repeatedly "bugs" you. It’s really difficult to avoid stress and the health problems that can result. Did you know that stress is a health issue?

It is believed that stress can contribute to allergies, muscle tension, heartburn or stomach problems, migraine or tension headaches, high blood pressure, angina, sore throats, colds and flu, heart disease, heart attacks and even a stroke.

Not all stress is bad, healthy levels of stress put your system in an alert state that causes you to function at your best. Knowing when too much is difficult because every individual handles stress differently and when we get overstressed we are usually too busy absorbed in the activities that created the stress to realize the high level of stress we are trying to function under.

Continued next Thursday or for complete information call Pam at Generations by dialing 417.359.2454.