Today's Feature

Cooper on Alarm Protocol.

Council member Mike Harris had mentioned previously that he received several inquiries from citizens concerning the protocol for the sounding of tornado sirens. Fire Chief John Cooper recently assembled an informational document about the sounding of the sirens.

The explanation of when sirens are sounded is listed as follows;

"Outdoor warning sirens will be activated when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Jasper County, with a storm path including the City of Carthage/or when receiving a report from a trained spotter of a funnel cloud or tornado sighted in or approaching Carthage.

"Outdoor warning sirens will also be activated when the National Weather Service reports a storm system approaching Carthage producing sustained winds of 75 mph or greater.

"The sirens consist of a steady tone for a period of 3-5 minutes."

The fire department does not sound an "all clear" signal any more. Cooper said that this additional sounding of the sirens had a tendency to confuse the public.

Cooper has spoken about NOAA All-Hazards Emergency Weather Radios and has recently had pamphlets printed which list attributes of the radios. According to the pamphlet, the radios receive broadcasts from the National Weather Service and can be set to automatically sound for tornado watches and warnings, and severe thunderstorm watches and warnings. The radios can be on alert 24 hours and are available with battery backups. Cooper speaks highly of the radios, saying he would recommend them as a reliable source for severe weather warnings.

The pamphlets will soon be available to the public and Cooper said he intends to take the information to classes and health fairs for distribution.

The current Carthage sirens are tested every Saturday at 12 noon. The tests run for approximately 3 minutes. Sirens are not tested when weather is threatening or when the temperature is below 50 degrees.

Stench Report:
Friday,
5/19/06

6 Complaints Filed with DNR for 5/18
No stench detected on Square Friday

Talked to an interestin’ person ‘bout over the weekend who is from just south of Kansas City on the Kansas side. She has a real interest in the pre-Civil War and Civil War period up in those parts. Lots of local history durin’ the ‘Bloody Kansas’ battles.

‘Course this part of the country was also involved in that part of history, so we traded little bits of local lore back and forth. I heard some of the details of the circumstances surroundin’ the Lawrence raid and other less well known confrontations.

We discussed other areas, but when talkin’ about our particular location, there was always a little more emphasis. It’s just natural ta feel closer to history you feel a part of.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Wash Walls Before Painting

Q: The last time my roommate and I painted a room, she insisted on washing the walls beforehand. I think this is silly, since we’re just going to cover the dingy old paint with fresh color. What do you think? -- John L., Columbus, Ohio

A: It’s actually a very good idea. Washing the walls with a mixture of lukewarm water and mild, low-phosphate detergent (dishwashing liquid, for example) removes dirt, dust and stains -- residues that can affect how the new coat of paint will adhere to the old. It also gives you a final opportunity to look at the walls up-close for dings, protruding nails or other defects that might become glaringly obvious once the new paint is rolled on.

Kitchens, bathrooms and children’s rooms are likely to have the dirtiest walls, for obvious reasons. Grease spatters from cooking can be found all over the kitchen walls. And of course, young children find that walls are the perfect surface for their preferred mediums -- crayons and markers.

Wash walls from the bottom up using a nice thick sponge or a lint-free cloth. Squeeze as much water out of the sponge as possible before applying to the wall. Don’t use a scrub pad. For grease spots, wash once and let the soapy water soften the spots for a few minutes, then wash again. For crayon and markers, do your best -- these adhere easily to flat paint. You’ll probably have to prime a marked-up wall to completely cover the drawings, and/or use a darker paint color.

Let the walls dry for at least a day before painting. Once the new coat of paint has been applied, do not wash the walls for at least 30 days to give the paint time to fully cure.

HOME TIP: Stains can be washed away more easily if you paint kitchen and bathroom walls with eggshell, satin or semi-gloss products.