Today's Feature

Signal Preemption Update.

The Public Safety Committee met Monday evening in a regular session. Jim Lucas of Lucas Technologies LLC was present at the meeting to give an update on the project of installing a traffic signal preemption system. The system would allow ambulances and fire and police vehicles to travel through intersections more quickly on the way to emergencies.

This project has been approved by Council to be installed in one light and one vehicle for testing and fine tuning, and eventually to be installed in all city-owned traffic signals and city emergency vehicles. Lucas reported multiple attempts to have Brown Traffic Products complete the installation in the test intersection signal. However, Brown has been unable to come to Carthage and do the work to date. Lucas said that they will attempt to come before Christmas. Lucas said that no action was necessary, but requested the committee’s patience in the matter.

Kellogg Lake Board Representative Ed Grundy was present at the meeting to request a no parking stripe at Kellogg Lake. Grundy showed an overhead picture of the lake and described the area for which the parking restriction was sought. This area is on the inside of the road around the lake, from the main entrance by the octagon flowerbed to the north, and past the fishing pavilion to the next curve. Grundy said it would improve the safety and reduce erosion to have cars park only on the outside of the street, away from the lake.

The committee was agreeable to the idea, but asked Police Chief Dennis Veach about enforcement. Veach said that in addition to the stripe, a small number of signs would be helpful to designate the area as a no parking zone. The committee approved a motion to make the inside portion of the street a no-parking zone. Veach agreed to coordinate with Street Commissioner Tom Shelley about the manner in which the signs are placed.

Stench Report:

Tuesday,
11/22/06

No stench detected on the Carthage Square

If you’re like me, you’ve got a pretty good idea what you will and won’t be eatin’ come Thanksgivin’ Day. Year after year, you know ‘xactly what will be set before you.

The same selection of bean salad, five-cup salad, potato salad, two, distinctly different stuffings (I guess they both get eaten, the same two always show up), some ham, some turkey, cranberries and, depending on time allotment, a dessert or two.

Desserts can be tricky. But I’ve figured out a fool-proof method to find the best ones. Just watch the kids. Word gets around quick when it comes to kids and desserts. Just watch and wait, or get in on servin’ the desserts to the kids. Then you’ve got control of the servin’ spoon so you can set your portion aside while they aren’t lookin’.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I am a very poor nursing student with a ‘97 Nissan Sentra that has developed a very large trunk leak. I poured water over the trunk, and it was very obviously coming in behind the seal between the yellow taillight and the trunk itself. Can I repair this myself? Is there a quick, cheap fix? Thank you for your help. - Kelli

RAY: Sure you can do this yourself, Kelli. If you can replace bandages and change bedpans this will be a piece of cake.

TOM: It’s possible that the gasket between the light fixture and the car’s body has failed. Unfortunately, you’ll probably have a hard time buying only that gasket.

RAY: So, there are two other options. One is to replace the gasket with silicone caulk. To do that, you have to remove the whole taillight assembly. The nuts come off from the back, inside the trunk.

TOM: So you take off the assembly, remove the old gasket, clean the site of the wound and then caulk everywhere that the assembly touches the body of the car. Before you do this, you might also want to change all of the bulbs in there, because you may never be able to get to them again.

RAY: That’s true.

TOM: It’s possible, however, that when you remove the assembly, you’ll discover that the plastic lens or the housing is cracked. In that case, the silicone might not work. You’ll have to go for the transplant, Kelli: You’ll have to replace the taillight assembly.

RAY: You can get one of those at your local auto recycling center, a.k.a. junkyard. Make sure the one you buy has a good gasket and no cracks. The good news is that unlike with human transplants, there’s very little risk of rejection with Sentra taillights, Kelli.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Holiday Gifts

NORTH POLE -- Thanks to some extra persuasion from Rudolph, our secret meeting with Santa and his friends concerning what’s hot in 2006 gift-giving for auto and racing lovers took place recently.

The Elves like car-care products from Eagle One, like the new Quick Detail Kit that makes washing and waxing easier than ever. Included are bottles of Bucket-Free Car Wash and Wax-As-U-Dry, microfiber towel and sponge ($12.99). Dasher opts for the Mr. Clean Auto Dry Car Wash -- a complete kit that is easy to use with no need to hand dry for $24.99.

To better get your vehicle running on those sub-zero mornings, Frosty the Snowman recommends a set of Bosch Platinum spark plugs (prices vary) and a six-pack of synthetic oil like Q Advanced from Quaker State, $21.99.

During the year, lots of model cars and trucks from AMT/ERTL are delivered to the North Pole. Priced from $7.99 up, they offer hours of fun for everyone. For die-cast lovers, AMT/ERTL and Maisto and have a lots to choose from, like Maisto’s 1/18 scale Porsche Spyder from $14.99 and up.

Kris Kringle points to movies on DVD and VHS, like "Tucker: The Man and His Dream," starring Jeff Bridges; "Winning" with Paul Newman; and Steve McQueen in "LeMans" as his top picks. Priced from $4.99 to $12.99, they make great stocking stuffers.

George Bailey is opting for some hats, shirts and jackets with automotive and racing themes, as it gets cold in Bedford Falls. This year, hats from Dodge and John Force Racing are popular, from $10.99 and up.