Today's Feature

Memorial Service at Battleground.

A Vespers Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, July 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Battle of Carthage State Park, E. Chestnut Street at the railroad.

The service will mark the anniversary of the Battle of Carthage, July 5, 1861 at the beginning of the Civil war and will honor warriors of both North and South. Participants are requested to bring lawn chairs and any memorabilia of the 1860’s. The event is planned by Marvin and Irene VanGilder in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources parks department.

Public Services Committee Meeting.

The City Council Public Services committee met Monday evening at Griggs Park in Carthage. The committee heard from Tom Howard of the Jasper County Youth Fair Board. During this year’s ice storms a building on the fairground property collapsed and insurance money was received. The committee had approved a motion to allow that money to be used to construct a new building, which was done. Howard asked the committee to request from City Council the reimbursement of the construction costs from the insurance money.

Kellogg Lake Nature Center and Preserve Board member Jo Ellis was also present at the meeting to discuss the progress of a proposal to install post and cable fencing at the lake. The proposal was rejected once by Council and has been returned to the committee for modifications. Council members upon rejecting the previous incarnation of the proposal objected to blocking access to the grass. The committee discussed the possibility of adding a gate for access. No action was taken on the proposal but the committee agreed to continue discussions at a later date.

The committee also discussed with Ellis a parking lot at the lake that has been damaged and considered the costs for repairing the damage. No action was taken on this item either.

The committee approved a bid for an air conditioning unit to be installed at the Municipal Park Golf Pro Shop. Six bids were received and the committee approved a bid from Rouse Sheet Metal in the amount of $4,800 for the unit. The item will be forwarded to Council for approval.

It always seems a little quieter after the Fourth. I like to just see how little noise I can be around for a day or two.

See what I mean? A little bit of nothin’ goes a long way.

I never like ta have any noise goin’ on in the mornin’. Seems is all gets jumbled up and make the day more confusin.’

The mornin’ talk shows seem to be just a little too jolly for my pre-coffee hours. It just makes me jittery hearin’ all that chirpy chatter. I’d rather just listen to the squirrels runnin’ the fence and the birds gettin’ the worm. ‘Course after a holiday, it’s always good ta get away from it all.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Click & Clack Talk Cars
By Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

The other night, I came out of a function that was 99 percent women and 1 percent men (a quilt show, to answer your question). In the parking lot, two women asked if I had jumper cables, since their rental Chevy wouldn’t start. I pulled up my Suburban, popped the hood, pulled out my jumper cables and stopped two men to help us. The two men, myself and the two women stared at the engine of the rental car and had no idea where to place the jumper cables. We think it must have been a hybrid car, but the renter was never told this, and none of us had ever seen one. All we could do was tell her to call the rental firm. Question: Where were the battery terminals, and how do you tell a hybrid if you’ve never seen one? - Roni

TOM: The way you tell that a car is a hybrid, Roni, is that the word "HYBRID" is plastered all over the vehicle. People who buy hybrids like other people to know that they bought a hybrid, so they can smile and feel smug about their decision.

RAY: So, companies that sell hybrids aren’t shy about plastering them with labels. I can’t think of a hybrid car that Chevy makes yet, so I don’t think it was a hybrid.

TOM: More likely, the rental car was a Chevy Cobalt. The Cobalt’s battery happens to be located in its trunk, near the spare tire.

RAY: In the Cobalt, the remote terminals are attached to the fuse box, which is up near the firewall, close to the windshield.

TOM: So that’s the explanation, I think, Roni. It was dark, you didn’t know to look for the remote battery terminals and the guys you stopped to help you weren’t experts on battery placement either. I’m just guessing. I mean, I don’t want to stereotype anybody, but knowing that they just came out of a quilting show, I’d surprised if they’re also big readers of Automotive Battery Digest.

RACING
By Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Who Is Lewis Hamilton?

Q: What’s the scoop on this kid Lewis Hamilton, who now leads the Formula One standings? -- Karen B., New Jersey

A: Karen, Lewis Hamilton was born Jan. 7, 1985, in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The Brit drives for the F1 McLaren Mercedes team and is a protégé of team boss Ron Dennis. Hamilton’s debut year includes two wins and seven straight podium finishes in seven races thus far. He currently sits atop the point standings in front of his teammate, Fernando Alonso, the defending F1 champion.

When Lewis finished second in Spain this year, he became at age 22 the youngest driver to ever lead the drivers’ championship. His first win came in Canada in just his sixth race, and his second win, at Indianapolis in his seventh and very next start. This feat marks the first time in F1 history that a rookie driver won two consecutive poles and followed with the race victories.

When Lewis was 9 years old and a champion racer in go-karts, he approached McLaren’s Dennis and told him, "I’m going to race for you one day. ... I’m going to race for McLaren."

Dennis signed Lewis when he was just 11 to a McLaren development-program contract. Great move, Mr. Dennis.