12 DEC 04: LESSONS LEARNED?
Did you see the "Looking Back" section of Saturday's Ledger-Enquirer? It's been 50 years since a Russell County grand jury made several historic suggestions for Phenix City. I was amazed to find not one of them mentioned used car lots.
The Russell County grand jury of late 1954 offered several ways to reinforce the "clean-up" of Phenix City. For instance:
1. Limits on businesses serving alcohol near the two downtown bridges. Obviously the people at Uptown Columbus, Inc. never read this part of the history book.
(What WAS going on early Friday morning on Broadway, which required the calling of several police officers? Was someone at Scruffy Murphy's a bit too roughy-tuffy?)
It's interesting to note earlier this year, Phenix City's police chief shut down a "sports bar" just across the street from the 13th Street bridge. If ESPN can show the World Series of Poker over and over, I'm not sure why this place was singled out.
Given the 1954 suggestions, why are some people in Phenix City upset with the planned Cadillac Jack's nightclub? The U.S. 280 - U.S. 80 intersection is several miles inland from those wayward Fort Benning soldiers....
2. Increased pay for law officers, so they won't be tempted to engage in corruption. Truly some things never change.
3. Setting up a City Manager - Commission form of government. Won't Phenix City Manager Bubba Roberts be surprised when he comes back from National Guard duty, and finds out the commission tried to do away with his job while he was gone?
4. Putting numbers on Phenix City equipment and vehicles. Do you mean back in 1954, Alabama didn't have license plates?
5. An immediate purging of the city voter list. Uh-oh - I hope Judge Al Howard didn't read that part of the paper, because he might get some ideas.
I wasn't around in 1954, but it seems Phenix City has cleaned up its governmental act since 1954. After all, these days the only voting scandals involve Russell County Commission races....
BLOG UPDATE: As expected, the attorneys for Kenneth Walker's family have re-filed a $100 million lawsuit. The defendants include Sheriff Ralph Johnson and former deputy David Glisson - and if some callers to "TalkLine" don't watch their mouths, they might be added to the list.
Instant Message to the guy who called WRCG's TalkLine Friday to suggest Kenneth Walker might have wanted police to kill him, in a form of "suicide-by-cop": Then where was the suicide note, Mr. Super-Genius? Why hasn't David Glisson's
attorney brought it out to show reporters? Or are you trying to earn a consulting fee from him?
Walker family attorney Willie Gary says in a civil suit, "all the evidence will come out.... not just some." I hope he realizes that cuts both ways - and Richard Hagler might challenge Kenneth Walker's character, as if he's running for Superior Court Judge.
WRBL reports Judge John Allen will oversee the Kenneth Walker family's civil lawsuit. So there's a second person the plaintiffs are unlikely to blame, if things don't go the way they like. The first person was Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker - who somehow has not been accused of buck-passing, like Gray Conger has.
Now other items I've missed from the last couple of days:
+ The "Bi-City Christmas Parade" rolled through downtown Phenix City and Columbus. I keep waiting for a local Chamber of Commerce to take over this event, and change the title to "BUY-City."
+ Bill Heard Chevrolet held a "Buy Like a G.M. Employee" sale. Now what does this mean? Do I have to assemble part of the car myself?
+ John J. Hooker performed in concert at Muldoon's. There's no faster way to get on the Fort Benning "off-limits list" than to openly promote hookers like this.
+ Benning "hit list" member Cellar's Lounge tried to gain Hispanic customers by promoting an appearance by "Las Gatitas." Gato is the Spanish word for cat - but for some reason, those women on the posters weren't holding up kittens....
+ The Columbus Riverdragons added to their NBDL lead by beating Asheville, before an announced attendance at the Civic Center of less than 700. What does this team have to do -- hold a Baptist church service after the game?
+ One night later, WWE Wrestling made a stop at the Columbus Civic Center. Lest we forget - pro wrestlers were brawling in the crowd years before pro basketball players did.
BIG PREDICTION: I hope I'm wrong, but I predict the price-cutting trend at local gas stations will end this coming week -- even though OPEC isn't reducing production until January 1. You can't prepare too soon for these things, you know....
COMING MONDAY: An update on my computer problems.... or how I spent a chilly Saturday night....
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