Today's Feature

First Readings at Council.

The Carthage City Council met Tuesday evening in a regular session. The first readings were heard for three ordinances, with little discussion from the Council. Those items included an owner initiated annexation at 3071 South Grand Avenue, an ordinance adding a fee for street and alley vacations, and a final plat for Blackberry Briar Subdivision.

Finance/Personnel Committee chair Diane Sharits reported that the Finance committee was projecting a 16% increase to City employees’ insurance premiums for the fiscal 2008 budget.

Mayor Jim Woestman said that he had recently spoken before the Missouri House of Representatives regarding continuing odor emissions in Carthage. Woestman said that he also spoke before a committee of 24 people in Jefferson City who are organizing an "odor panel" to investigate the possibility of creating a law against odor violations. Woestman said that it could take up to a year to decide what constitutes an odor violation.

City Attorney Nate Dally advised that the Department of Natural Resources still encourages citizens to report odors.

"If you smell it, report it," said Dally

Public Works Director Chad Wampler reported that construction plan had been submitted for review for a new restaurant to be located in the Myers Park property at the corner of Hazel and Fir road. Wampler also reminded Council that there will be no City-Wide Cleanup this year, as part of the revised City contract with Allied Waste. Currently the waste disposal service allows the placement of one bulky item per week at the place of normal trash pickup.

It was Council member Ronnie Wells’ final full meeting with the Council and he spoke briefly saying that he had enjoyed his time serving the City.

"I’ve enjoyed it," said Wells. "I wish more people would get involved in their City government."

Wells has served on the Council for 6 years and said that he had disagreed with a quite a few proposals. Wells said that some of these had passed and some had been rejected, but that he had always voiced his opinion.

If you’ve never participated in or observed the play, it involves tryin’ to run in a straight line as fast as you can with your head spinnin’ at a different pace.

The result is a hilarious stumblin’ and fallin’ all in fun. It’s a great game for adults and kids alike. It takes no particular skill, and the largest or fastest has no distinct advantage. Usually the winners of the dizzy game are the ones who keep a steady pace and don’t try to hurry too much. At least when ya end up on the ground, it doesn’t bruise anything but the ego.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 2004 Honda Accord, which I recently took to the dealer for the 30,000-mile service. The dealer tells me that my oil-pan underneath the car has a large dent, though there is no oil leaking. He says that I should spend $400 on getting this replaced ASAP, since otherwise my oil pressure could drop to zero. How urgent is it? Why would a dent affect oil pressure? Thanks - Amit

RAY: Well, there are two ways a dented oil pan can affect your oil pressure. The first is if it actually breaks. Then all of your oil will leak out and you’ll have no oil to pressurize!

TOM: But you’re fortunate to have a steel oil pan on this car. Steel can often survive a dent. As long as there’s no actual "crease" in the metal, you’re probably OK.

RAY: But the other potential problem is that the dent itself may be pushing up against, and blocking, the oil pickup tube. The tube that sucks the oil out of the pan and delivers it to the pump sits very close to the bottom of the pan. If the dent were in just the wrong place, it could create a phenomenon called "oil starvation" - especially at high engine speeds or on hills.

TOM: That might be why the dealer is urging you to replace it. But you can always have the engine tested. Another mechanic can hook up a gauge to your car, then run it at various RPMs, and see if the pressure meets specifications. If it does, you have nothing to worry about.

RAY: Of course, if the test determines that the oil pressure IS low, you’ll be out the cost of the oil-pressure test AND a new oil pan. So speak to your dealer again and ask him, specifically, why he’s urging you to replace the pan.That’ll give you some more information go to on, Amit.

RACING
by Greg Zyla
Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Retired Champ Struggles to Make Ends Meet

Much has been written recently about NASCAR not having or failing to put together some type of retirement/pension plan for its past and current drivers. Crewmembers have 401(k)s, medical benefits, etc., but drivers, known as independent contractors, usually don’t.

Former driving stars like Sam Ard, a two-time Busch Series champion, has Alzheimer’s disease, and his wife of 46 years, Jo, has a degenerative eye disease. The Associated Press’ Jenna Fryer explained in an article prior to the Daytona 500 that between Social Security, Sam’s veterans benefits and what Jo picks up cleaning houses, the Ards bring in roughly $1,600 a month. After the mortgage payment of $426.96, car insurance on Ard’s 1993 Ford Ranger, utilities, phone and cable, there’s only about $123 left.

Fryer explained that some inside NASCAR have given financial assistance on a case-by-case basis, but they aren’t prepared to fund a pension because it would be next to impossible to find a starting point.

This help from NASCAR deserves a note of praise, as do current drivers like Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart, who all have helped in Ard’s plight in one way or another, as have other drivers and crew members.

In my opinion, this is a very tough situation, because most of today’s stars make millions and probably don’t need a retirement or pension plan, but how about the "non-star" drivers in Cup, Busch and Craftsman, or drivers from years gone by, like Ard?