Today's Feature

An Informal Discussion.

The Public Works Committee did not have a quorum present during Tuesday afternoon’s meeting. Committee chair Tom Flanigan and committee member Bill Johnson were present and discussed with Public Works Department Director Chad Wampler some of the advantages and concerns about adding a Nuisance Abatement Officer within the Public Works Department.

As has previously been reported, the duty of patrolling nuisance abatement is currently assigned to the Carthage Police Department. This job is shared with the Animal Control Enforcement officer and provides enough work for 1 full time officer and one part time officer.

Chad Wampler handed out copies of a draft ordinance explaining the duties of nuisance abatement. Included in the draft is a list of 23 descriptions of "nuisances" which include; "(7) Limbs of trees projecting over a sidewalk or street at a height of less than seven feet," "(13) Weeds over eight inches high," and "(15) The burning within the City limits of any animal, vegetable or other substance, the burning of which creates or generates any disagreeable, noxious or unwholesome smell or odor."

Wampler added his recommendation that several items pertaining to animal control be stricken from the list, including; "(1) Carcasses of dead animals remaining exposed more than six hours after death."
A complete listing of nuisance descriptions will be published at a later date in the Mornin’ Mail.

Bill Johnson expressed concerns on Tuesday about the split, saying that while there are several police officers driving around Carthage to see the code violations, the Public Works department does not have the same manpower. Johnson added that he hoped the Police officers would help inform the NAO about violations if any were seen. Wampler responded that the Public Works Department hoped to become more proactive in the endeavor, if an NAO was hired.

Tom Flanigan recommended that as the proposal goes through various committees and to Council that it be publicized so that the public may know about the ordinance as it progresses. Flanigan also recommended posting a notice on the City website.

No action was taken on the item as there was no quorum but the item will be discussed again at the next Public Works committee meeting.

Stench Report:

Tuesday,
2/20/07

No Stench Detected on Carthage Square.

I was allowed to throw away the shell of a boiled egg and the banana and orange peel. I always had to eat the crust of bread and to not throw away the "best part."

‘Course as I’ve said before we always had plenty to eat. I knew that because whenever I asked for seconds, my dad would say, "No, you’ve had plenty."

Planters peanut butter and Welch’s grape were staples. ‘Course we always had a bottle of "Tang" on the shelf, but it always got hard in the jar before it was used up.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I love my 2005 Honda CR-V, except for the dashboard. The numbers on the radio, the digital clock and the odometer - especially at night - are way too small and dark for me to see clearly (black on gray). Squinting doesn’t help, and neither do bifocals. My friend has a Honda Accord, and I can see HIS dashboard just fine! Is it possible to get a great dashboard panel, like the one in the Accord, put into my CR-V? Then I would have nearly the car of my dreams! - Shay

TOM: Keep dreaming, Shay. You can’t do a dashboard transplant. Even the Cleveland Clinic would shy away from this procedure. The pieces just don’t fit.

RAY: The reason your dashboard gauges are hard for you to read is that the CR-V was originally designed by a team of young engineers, for an audience of younger buyers. Their first priority was utility.

TOM: The Accord, on the other hand, is aimed at a broader swath of the buying public, so the members of its design team over age 40 made sure the instruments were easily readable by folks of all ages.

RAY: But before you give up on your CR-V, Shay, check a couple of things again. First, get your eyes examined again. A set of progressive lenses with the right correction might make a difference. It works for me in almost every car.

TOM: The other thing to check is the intensity adjustment for your dashboard lights. On most cars, the controller is located on the dashboard to the left of the steering wheel, or poking out of the instrument cluster itself. Make sure it’s turned to its highest setting. If it’s not, you might have set off your "Argh, I’m a geezer!" alarm prematurely.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

2nd-Place Indy Finish Still Riles Andretti

I attended the Eastern Motorsport Press Association Convention recently in Philadelphia and came away with lots of interesting tidbits. Honored as Hall of Fame inductees were David Pearson, winner of 105 NASCAR Cup races; DIRT Modified standout Bob McCreadie; sprint-car racing legend Keith Kauffman; and Pocono Raceway owners Joe and Rose Mattioli. Harry Blaze, the Trenton, N.J., Evening Times motorsports writer, and World of Outlaws founder Ted Johnson were inducted posthumously.

Marco Andretti accepted the T. Wayne Robertson "Newsmaker of the Year" award, and stated that to this day, he is still "not satisfied" with his second-place finish at Indy.

"If we would have come from fifth place and finished second, a half-a-lap down to the leader, maybe we would have been pleased," said Marco. "But when you come off Turn 4 in the lead, and can see the checkered flag, and get passed at the finish line, second will never be accepted. We ended up the first loser, and lost to a faster car."

As grandson of motorsports legend Mario Andretti and son of Michael, Marco scored one win and earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Indy Racing League last year. He feels new teammate Danica Patrick will fit in with the team very well.