16 AUG 05: TWO-AND-A-HAVE-TO

"It's costing me a thousand a week," a truck driver said to some of us at church last weekend. Since this was at a worship service, it was fair to assume he was talking about the high price of fuel - and not any (ahem) women he was meeting at truck stops.

The truck driver might have to reexamine his budget, after what happened across Columbus Monday. The price of gasoline jumped for the fourth time in eight days, and went above $2.50 a gallon at even the "discount" stations. It's never felt better to live within walking distance of convenience stores....

It also felt good Monday to know I had filled my gas tank Sunday. I drove to the weekend "Best Bet" we posted on Warm Springs Road, but found the Marathon station with a price of $2.35 a gallon was closed on Sundays. Come to think of it, maybe that's why Adam Johnson wrecked nearby - that gas price distracted him.

I'd been watching carefully during my Saturday driving - and I knew another Marathon had gas for $2.36 a gallon. But when I reached that station at Airport Thruway and Veterans Parkway, the price was $2.41. It went up five cents on a WEEKEND?! That's the way to encourage church donations....

I settled for the fill-up at $2.41 a gallon at the Airport Thruway station. But I couldn't help noticing the sign, saying you could only pay in advance or use a credit card at the pump. Gas now is so expensive that stealing a tank-full in an SUV may cross the price line to felony theft.

What does it say when a gallon of gasoline cost $2.51 Monday, while a share of Delta Air Lines stock dropped to $1.40 or lower? Should we assume the U.S. is returning to a simpler time - when people rode buses instead of flying?

Back at church, the truck driver friend talked about filling his 18-wheeler at low-priced Cowboys stations in places such as Dothan. He has a corporate account card, but "at 500 dollars it shuts down automatically." I heard this, turned to another man and said, "Then he buys the other half-a-tank."

Our pastor brought up the high price of gas during his announcement segment of the service. The price matters to him, since he has a church circuit from Macon to Columbus and back. If someone will kindly build a comfortable meeting room in Butler, this could ease his mind....

The pastor claimed oil companies are gouging ordinary people like you and me - but in his words: "We're stuck." Thankfully, he had the wisdom to avoid the now over-used oil cliche, "over a barrel."

Sad to say, the price of gasoline in Columbus is now SO HIGH....

+ Local Phillips 66 stations have changed to Texaco - since about the only thing you can buy for 66 cents there now are newspapers.

+ People may move to Peachtree City, where they can drive around town on electric golf carts.

+ This weekend's fund-raising "Ride to the Beach" could change next year to a car-pool.

+ East Alabama Motor Speedway may be forced to add bicycle motocross races.

+ The hottest stock market tip of the week is to invest in "The Scooter Store."

E-MAIL UPDATE: It didn't take long for people to start talking about the son of the Muscogee County Sheriff again. This message came not long after Sunday's 6:00 p.m. news:

As you might already know, Adam Johnson, son of Muscogee Sheriff Ralph Johnson, was involved in yet another accident, crime, etc. It was only in October that Johnson struck and nearly killed a child who was crossing the street. Witnesses reported that Johnson was seen on numerous occasions going down this road [Oates Avenue] at excessive speeds. He was never charged.

So here we are nearly ten months later and Muscogee's favorite son has done it again, this time rear ending a car in front of him. However, as WTVM reported, he has been arrested this time, but for what, they didn't mention. How long will it take, how many crimes must he commit before Sheriff Johnson acknowledges that his son needs military service (or jail time) to straighten him out? How many times must this happen before Muscogee residents stand up to this kind of favoritism from elected officials in positions of power??? Input from your readers on this matter would be informative and greatly appreciated.

AR

Wow - how did Adam Johnson win the title "Muscogee's Favorite Son?" Did Councilor Jack Rodgers's son give up the title, when he left WRBL sports?

AR may not realize Adam Johnson was sentenced to some "straightening up" time last February. When he pleaded guilty to drunk driving and marijuana charges, Johnson's sentence included 90 days in a boot camp. I don't know if he's gone there yet - but hopefully "boot camp" doesn't mean learning soccer skills.

Will there be "favoritism" in this latest incident involving Adam Johnson? Attorney Mark Shelnutt denied it Monday, saying the sheriff's son had posted bond and the traffic counts against him are "routine." Compared with DUI and drug possession, "following too closely" isn't routine for him - it's downright tame.

WRBL added some interesting details to the Adam Johnson story Monday. It turns out he still lives with his dad, the Sheriff - and he was driving a family-owned car Sunday, even though his license supposedly was suspended. Some families need secure lock-boxes, even for their keys.

Robbie Watson had a thought-provoking question Monday on WRCG's "TalkLine" - whether the arrest of Adam Johnson was really newsworthy. Should relatively small offenses be mentioned, only because a relative of a famous person is involved? Well, they certainly made Billy Carter and Paris Hilton famous....

It seems to me Adam Johnson's latest arrest is worth the news coverage, considering what happened last October. Some people were upset that he was NOT charged, after his truck collided with a girl on Oates Avenue. Now Johnson could be a serial collider -- and who knows, a NASCAR team might discover him.

Now some quick things to wrap up an occasionally muddy Monday:

+ Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff received a celebrity roast at the RiverCenter. For some reason, your blog was NOT invited to this -- so all participants who stole material from this web site have 48 hours to confess to me in private.

+ Former assistant city manager Richard Bishop began his new job, in charge of Uptown Columbus Inc. He admits one main concern will be the fear of downtown businesses, as "Streetscape" approaches Tenth Street. So if bar owners talk about a "Caterpillar tsunami," it's not a new drink.

+ A professor emeritus at Columbus State University and author appeared on Troy Public Radio, discussing Horace King. John Lupold said the 19^th-century bridge builder considered himself TRI-racial, since he was part native Catawba. But to white people back then, that was like losing two out of three falls.

COMING WEDNESDAY: E-mail about Tidwell vs. Sheehan....

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