Today's Feature

Sign Permits Proposed.

Public Works Director Chad Wampler discussed a possible permit for signs with the Public Works Committee on Tuesday afternoon. Wampler showed a rough draft to the committee and asked approval to proceed with the creation of the permit.

The committee approved a motion to move forward with the project and to hold a public forum for contractors or anyone who has interest in voicing an opinion about a sign permit. The date for the public meeting will be March 1, which is the next regularly scheduled Public Works meeting.

According to Wampler the City has some current restrictions for the signs included in the general building permit, however, without a permit specifically designated for signs it is harder for the Public Works department to control where the signs are put and how they are constructed.

The permit draft shown by Wampler had sections for Directional, Wall, Projecting, Roof, Ground, and Electrical signs. Each section had rules such as mounting procedures and size and location on the property. The specifics would be decided by the committee before approval.

In grade school I heard stories of Larry waitin’ for the first bell to ring in the mornin’ before he jumped outa bed to be in class before the last bell had rung. We lived less than a block from school. When he got old enough Larry drove his Ford to High School everyday. As he passed the grade school, the car always drew a respectful stare as it lumbered by the playground.

Hearin’ the crunch on a Saturday mornin,’ I ran to see the Ford layin’ on its top in an empty lot. The car got away from a friend of Larry’s drivin’ in the lose gravel. No one was hurt, but the Ford was terminal.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I’ve got a peculiar problem. My 1999 Mercury Sable’s heater has been putting out less and less hot air for the past few years. This year there was no heat. I have flushed the cooling system; still nothing. Then I flushed the heater core, and now I have heat but only at highway speeds. At idle, you can feel it cool right back down to nothing. Any thoughts? My wife and kids refuse to ride with me anymore... on second thought, maybe that’s OK! - Mike

RAY: My brother got his wife and kids to stop riding with him too. But he didn’t have to give up his heat to do it. Giving up his reflexes and judgement seemed to do the trick.

TOM: I think it’s your heater core, Mike. Flushing won’t help once it’s really plugged up. I’m going to guess that the water pump is OK. It’s turned by a belt that runs the engine, so, at idle speed, it’s supposed to pump more slowly than at highway speed. At normal idle speed, it just can’t overcome the gunk that’s clogging up your heater core.

RAY: The good news is that the heater core is easy to get to on this car. The bad news is that it’s only easy to get to once you remove the entire dashboard.

TOM: So, you’re looking at $600, Mike. A big chunk of that is labur. You have to make a decision here; Do you want to be frozen out by your car, or be frozen out by your family? Good luck deciding, brother.

RACING
by Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Jeff Gordon Should Win It All This Year

It’s that time of year when we make our "Chase for the Cup" predictions for the 2005 NASCAR season. Here is our predicted order of finish:

1. Jeff Gordon — Had "old points" been utilized, Gordon would have been the 2004 champ. But they aren’t, so he’s back again this year in the thick of the hunt.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. — If his team can figure out some of the smaller, mid-size tracks, he’ll again make a run for the overall title.

3. Jimmy Johnson — His four wins in the last 10 races nearly made up for several poor "Chase" outings.

4. Kasey Kahne — No sophomore jinx for this kid. Look for a minimum of three wins and a strong run at the Nextel Cup.

5. Tony Stewart — "Smoke" could come away with the whole thing if luck goes his way and he’s not involved in too many crashes.

6. Jamie McMurray — New to the list this year, he’s car owner Chip Ganassi’s best shot at a top-10 contender.

7. Matt Kenseth — Always a force to be reckoned with and a true "David Pearson"-style driver.

8. Kurt Busch — We left him off the list last year and he won the whole thing.

9. Mark Martin — A sentimental favorite. He’s driving his last full season of Cup racing.

10. Ryan Newman — Prime example of the fastest car not always winning.