Today's Feature

Enterprise Zone Matrix Approved.

Carthage City Council during Tuesday night’s meeting approved a resolution authorizing a supplemental tax abatement matrix for Carthage’s enhanced enterprise zone. The base level incentive for the enhanced enterprise zone offers a 10 year 50% tax abatement for companies that create two jobs and have $100,000 in capital investment. The matrix offers additional incentives for the creation of 10 to 50 jobs whose payscales must be equal to or higher than the Jasper County Average Wage.

Council also approved an ordinance exercising limited authority relating to the operation of video service providers. Recent legislation on a state level has negated City franchise agreements for cable providers. The current franchise agreement between the City and Suddenlink Communications is due to expire today. The ordinance will allow the City to continue collect a 3% fee from any video service provider. The ordinance would also allow the City limited control over the placement of video facilities in right-of-ways, another item which was previously designated by the franchise agreement. Council approved the ordinance unanimously.

Now, a couple of the offenses were simply wrong numbers that came from our establishment. One was a fax that number that was in error. I apologized for the trouble caused by these accidental intrusions into the privacy of these folks, but I have wondered since exactly why it was such a big deal.

Like I said, I don’t know if there was a reason for these folks to be so upset over the fact that we had called, maybe they were gettin’ some silly phone calls and wanted them stopped. What strikes me odd is the fact that now if a phone rings and nobody is there to hear it, it still doesn’t mean you are out of the woods.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Click & Clack Talk Cars
By Tom & Ray Magliozzi

Dear Tom and Ray:

When my daughter arrived home from college, she came home with a terrible odor in her car. She said that the week before school was out, she went to class and when she came out and got into her car, she smelled a terrible odor. It was a 90-degree day. We have cleaned out the car, taken it to our mechanic, who has pretty much taken out everything he could to check the out the car. We’ve tried everything from baking soda, Oust and Febreze to Oxium, but the car still stinks. Any suggestions? We are desperate! - Linda

TOM: I think three of her sorority sisters barfed in it after a long night of post-final-exam partying, Linda.

RAY: Actually, it sounds like mold. That’s exactly how it presents. First water gets into the car from a window left open, a leak in a windshield, or from a plugged-up air-conditioner drain. Once water gets into the carpet, mold spores start to grow.

TOM: Having the car closed up in the heat creates the perfect breeding environment for the mold. And pretty soon, the spores are multiplying like Osmonds. Then one day, they reach a critical mass, and you open the door and you’re bowled over.

RAY: Almost nothing can cover it up.

TOM: If you want to try to attack it, pull the carpet out, including the pad underneath and put it all in the sun. Vacuum both sides, then toss out the vacuum bag.

RAY: Then turn the carpet over, and spray the back side of it with bleach. Then lit it sit in the sun as long as you can. And you might want use a fungicide spray several times while it bakes.

TOM: While you’re doing that, be sure to find the source of the water that got into the carpet. If your daughter can’t remember leaving a window open one day, there’s a leak somewhere else.