The Mornin' Mail is published every weekday except major holidays
Thursday, February 23, 2006 Volume XIV, Number 174

did ya know?

Did Ya Know?... A Chili Feed and silent auction will be held February 25, 2006 from 11-2 p.m. in the First Christian Church Lighthouse (corner Main and Chestnut). Chili, cheese, crackers, dessert and drinks. Cost for Adults - $5.00, Children 6-13 $3.00 and under 5 Free. All proceeds to benefit Carthage FFA. Students attending the Washington Leadership Conference.

Did Ya Know?... A Mardi Gras Louisiana Cuisine will be served Shove Tuesday, February 28 from 7-7:30 p.m. in the Grace Episcopal Church, 820 Howard. Adults $6.00 Children $3.00

Did Ya Know?... Volunteers will be at the C.A.N. D.O. Senior Center to help seniors apply for the Missouri Property Tax Credit. Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon from January 30 to April 10.

today's laugh

I was noted for my fancy footwork as a boxer. I was disqualified from twelve fights for kicking.

Never play peek-a-boo with a child on a long plane trip. There’s no end to the game. Finally I grabbed him by the bib and said, "Look. It’s always gonna be me." - Rita Rudner

Everybody gets dressed in crazy costumes at football games nowadays. I’ve been to games where the only two creatures who looked normal were the team mascots.

1906
INTERESTING MELANGE.
A Chronological Record of Events as they have Transpired in the City and County since our last Issue.

Change Switch Light Color.

The Missouri Pacific railway company has ordered that its white switch lights shall be replaced with a green light. The green light, as the white did, heretofore, will denote a clear track - the opposite of the red danger light. This change is made because of confusion sometimes resulting in a lantern or some other ordinary light coming near the white switch light and misleading the train men. It may be that the red danger light will be changed to yellow, because the latter light can be seen at a greater distance.

Lawrence Milton left last evening for Wichita where as manager of the Wichita ball team he will begin active work. He hopes to begin exhibition games in the near future if weather conditions permit.

The Sunshine society meets tomorrow afternoon with Mrs. L.P. Teeters of South Garrison ave. A good attendance is desired and it is requested that each one bring thimbles.

 

Today's Feature

Committee Approves Street Closure.

The City Council Public Safety Committee met Tuesday evening in a regular session. The committee approved a street blockage request for Relay For Life closing the 700 block of Lyon street and the 300 block of 7th Street from 4:30 p.m. to 10 a.m on June 2-3. The item will be forwarded to City Council for approval.

It was recommended by the Committee that Police Chief Dennis Veach begin the process of getting bids for a replacement truck for Police NAO truck. The previous vehicle was in an accident. The settlement amount for the wrecked vehicle is approximately $19 thousand. Veach presented the committee with an approximate price sheet for a 2006 Ford Ranger with all of the equipment installation, showing the total as $18,800. Once the bids are received they will be brought back before the committee for review.

Fire Chief John Cooper spoke to the committee about the Fire Department’s generator which stopped working recently. The 1960’s model has been in use at the department since around 1980. Cooper told the committee he could get a used model from state surplus for $2,000. The committee approved a motion to present to Council an expenditure from the council contingency fund not to exceed $2,500 for the purchase and setup of the generator. Cooper told the committee that the old generator could be sold in the City sale.

Cooper further informed the committee that Student Government day was set for March 14th.

The chiefs both presented to the committee with capital improvement budget requests for their departments. Items on the Police list included an improved surveillance system for the Police building and parking lot. Veach said that the system would allow the department to better monitor the jail and parking lot where fights have been known to occur. Items on the Fire department list include a replacement pump truck. Cooper told the committee that the current pump truck has been burning oil badly. The truck is smaller than other fire trucks and is used frequently for accidents and other emergencies.

Stench Report:
Wednesday,
2/22/06

No Stench Detected.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin'
I was always taught not to make judgements based on what others might think. That kinda thinkin’ works pretty well for those ever’day type decisions. Lets ya be an independent thinker of sorts.

But at a deeper level, there has ta be a sense of what depth of independence is acceptable to the community. I’ve often wondered, as I passed through other communities, why people live there. Not that I think they shouldn’t, there must be some good reasons.

I’ve come to the conclusion that folks live in a community ‘cause there are common base values. In other words, ever’one thinks along a similar line. Ya don’t have ta worry what a neighbor thinks, ‘cause ya already know. People live in communities, so they can share basic values. ‘Course they still like ta gossip ‘bout those who don’t.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Sponsored
by:
Metcalf Auto Supply
Click & Clack Talk Cars
By Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a Saturn 2001 with about 44,000 miles on it. Every morning when I start the car, a huge puff of white smoke comes out of the tailpipe. It does not continue to do this throughout the day - just in the morning when it has been sitting overnight. It has been doing this for about six months. I have not noticed a change in the way the engine sounds, nor in my gas mileage. I get oil changes every 3,000 miles or so. Any idea what it could be? - Linda

TOM: Gee, that’s unfortunate, Linda. I’m guessing that the smoke has a light bluish tinge to it. Look carefully, and I think you’ll see it. Because I’m guessing it’s oil.

RAY: Yeah. Your car’s probably burning a little bit of oil every morning. But it may not be serious. The first thing you should do is monitor your fluids for a month. See if you’re losing either motor oil or coolant (in case it’s coolant that’s being burned, which does make white smoke). If the losses are negligible, that’s a good sign.

TOM: And if the smoke always goes away within 30 seconds or less, that’s a good sign, too. In that case, it’s most likely just a little bit of oil leaking down from the valve guide seals overnight, or something like that. When you start up the engine, that oil burns and comes out the tailpipe as blue-gray smoke. It doesn’t take much oil to produce a lot of smoke.

RAY: If that’s the case, I predict this will have no bearing on the ultimate demise of this car.

TOM: So, if you’re not losing oil, and the smoke goes away quickly rather than lingers all day, I wouldn’t spend the money to take the engine apart and fix this. I’d forget all about it. Just stop looking behind you right after you start the car. In fact, back into your garage at night from now on, Linda.


RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Honda Engines to Power IRL

Q: Now that Honda has announced it will supply the entire IndyRacing League field with engines for 2006 as the sole engine supplier, how will they get the job done for Indy, where 33 spots are open? Can they do it? -- Charles, Spokane, Wash.

A: Charles, I recently spoke with Robert Clarke, president of Honda Performance Development in Santa Clarita, Calif. Clarke explained that Honda’s engine partner, Ilmor, Inc. in England, would help with the building and supplying of the Honda Indy V-8 engines, as it has in the past. Now, with that said, this is a daunting task for any engine manufacturer, especially on such short notice. Rest assured, however, as Clarke explained Honda’s way of doing business.

"When the IRL came to us and asked if we could support the entire field in ‘06, the first thing we looked at was making sure we could do it, prior to any commitment," explained Clarke. "We wanted to make absolutely sure on that front.

"We strive to supply a quality product and service in our racing efforts, as we do in our passenger-car and truck manufacturing, and other products. That’s Honda’s tradition, and we are very proud of our reputation," he said. "And yes, through a lot of study and review, we proved to ourselves that we could accomplish the job."

I then quizzed Clarke on how the engines will be distributed to eliminate any complaints of "favoritism."

Clarke said, "One of the very first questions the race teams asked when we had our initial meetings was what you are asking, specifically, ‘How is Honda going to supply the engines so one team doesn’t have an advantage over the other?’

"To address that, all the Honda Indy V-8 engines built here and at Ilmor will go into a pool, and we will supply the IRL with a list of engine numbers that are in that pool," he said. "When a team needs an engine, the IRL will pick an engine number from that pool and it will be delivered to the respective team. So the actual engine that is delivered to the team is selected by the IRL via a serial number. We have nothing to do with the selection process."

It is very interesting what will happen to IRL Honda Indy V-8s in 2007, when they will run on 100-percent ethanol instead of methanol. The result will be a 100-horsepower loss based solely on the fuel used (IRL cars will run a mix in 2006 containing only 10-percent ethanol). Stay tuned, and thanks for the question.

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