3 AUG 05: STATE OF DISUNION

We knew the change was coming for months. Now it's supposed to be officially here. But "Troy University" hasn't quite arrived in the Columbus area yet. Maybe Phenix City has a more powerful "State department" than we realized.

We mentioned Tuesday Troy University was adopting the same name at all campuses, removing the word "State." But a check by your blog in Phenix City Tuesday found there's plenty of name adjusting left to do at that campus, and it could be expensive. So if tuition keeps going up, this is one reason why....

Our "blog buzzer" started sounding well before we reached Troy's Phenix City campus. Two exit signs from the 280 Bypass to U.S. 431 still say "Troy State." Perhaps we should expect that from state highway signs - but how long did it take to change Don Siegelman's name to Bob Riley's at the state line?

The biggest adjustment ahead would seem to be at the campus entrance along U.S. 431. "Troy State University" is in big letters - and if drivers traveling 70 miles an hour or faster don't shake those letters loose, a crew will have serious work to do.

(To be fair: a backhoe was parked behind the entrance sign Tuesday. But I think it was for landscaping work in the back - because it would need to crash into the big sign several times to knock it over.)

It turns out none of the visible signs along the access road to Troy University and Chattahoochee Valley Community College said merely "Troy." The "State" remains on buildings and directional signs -- as if they're waiting for Cowboy Troy to show up and have a concert making the change official.

You may consider all of this no big deal -- but when AFLAC made its big logo change last year, it was very well organized. Little entry signs along Wynnton Road were covered with "duck logo" bags right away, until nice-looking replacements were ready -- and passers-by didn't even take the bags to collect cans.

If AFLAC can be this prepared for a surprise logo change, why hasn't Troy University in Phenix City changed its signs - when we all knew the name change was coming a year ago? Couldn't enough students be found to fix these things for minimum wage?

(By the way, we did NOT check the former "Troy State at Fort Benning" Tuesday. Security is probably so tight there that the words "blog camera" might have led to questions about whether we know any terrorists.)

BLOG UPDATE: Doesn't it just figure? Columbus gas prices jumped about a dime Tuesday, right after we recommended a low price of $2.05 a gallon. It's apparently due to the death of the Saudi Arabian king -- so this could be just a passing Fahd.

From what I've seen, the new gas price champion is a Big Cat station on U.S. 431 in Phenix City. It had $2.13 on its sign Tuesday afternoon - which could mean the manager only listens to rock music stations, and hasn't heard any news the last couple of days.

If you're reading this aloud, you can hear other news from Tuesday:

+ Columbus Police joined community groups for the "National Night Out" against crime. They should schedule this event for a more appropriate time - like July 4, to stop all the people shooting illegal fireworks.

+ Sumter County Superior Court Judge Rucker Smith was arrested on battery charges, accused of attacking his girlfriend. If security guards are going to stop weapons from entering courthouses, they should also stop judges from carrying gavels out.

+ The Columbus Public Library introduced a new information blog - and called it on the library web site a "CLOG." And all this time, I thought those things were in kitchen sinks....

(Some of you in rural areas should be offended by this -- as a big-city library is claiming it's full of cloggers.)

+ A group asked Columbus Council to change the hours for Northside Recreation Center, to close it on Friday instead of Sunday. And here's the strange thing - the people suggesting this didn't look Muslim.

+ Johnston Textiles announced it's moving more than 130 jobs from its Phenix City mill to Opp, Alabama. That'll teach all of you who wore "O.P.P." caps and T-shirts years ago....

(Can Phenix City officials challenge this move in court? They need some way to express their Opp-position....)

+ CB&T of Russell County announced it will change its name to CB&T of East Alabama. If this bank really wants more Alabama customers, it should change the name again - and make it EAB&T.

+ Instant Message to Lucy the checkout lady, who told me "you can never have enough cookies": Do you realize where you work? I thought Walgreens was supposed to promote healthy living....

(Keep talking like that, Lucy, and you might have a great future selling pop-up Internet ads.)

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