18 APR 06: FADING FIRES

Two big announcements were made in Columbus Monday afternoon. One marked the end of a sports era, which few people really want to see. The other could mark the end of an era -- and some people are rooting for that harder than for some sports teams.

We'll start with the latter announcement. District Attorney Gray Conger announced Monday a civil suit has been filed to shut down The Firehouse nightclub. Why didn't Fort Benning think of this in the first place? Simply banning soldiers from the club looks wimpy, by comparison....

The District Attorney produced a binder, filled with some 400 police reports involving The Firehouse going back to 2003. Someone should have asked Gray Conger if it was lighter or heavier than the Boom Boom Room.

The last straw for The Firehouse may have come early Sunday, when three people were shot in the parking lot. A man from Atlanta reportedly waved a gun, after his younger brother was barred from the club for being underage. Apparently Scooters next door is too dull and boring to visit.

But Sunday's violence was far from the only problem at The Firehouse. Police say 40 shots may have been fired in the parking lot three weeks ago, while officers were at one end of the property. Maybe the real answer isn't closing the club - it's opening a branch of Shooters there for target practice.

(Hey, wait a minute! If all this trouble is happening in the parking lot, why not ban the lot instead of shutting down the club? The new owners of Spectrum probably would love to put a new store there.)

People who live near The Firehouse along Armour Road say they've often heard gunshots on weekends, around 3:00 a.m. There MUST be a quieter way to announce last call for drinks than this....

Not only that, there's a "Comfort Suites" hotel across the street from The Firehouse. The only comfort many weekend guests may have comes from having secure door locks on their rooms.

The problems at The Firehouse go beyond gunfire. Police say they've found drugs in the parking lot and beer bottles on the grass -- and we certainly don't want visitors confusing this club with a mobile home park.

So why hasn't a spot on the Fort Benning "hit list" brought peace to The Firehouse? Columbus Police Chief Rick Boren said the management made military police obtain search warrants, before they could enter to look for soldiers. And then you wonder why some MP's are more than happy to serve in Iraq again....

The managers of The Firehouse refused to comment Monday on the lawsuit to shut it down. The club can remain open 30 more days, until there's a court hearing - so if the managers unveil a new menu with plenty of "pig," we'll assume they're contesting the case.

I can't help wondering what NBC-38's Al Fleming thinks of all the trouble at The Firehouse. After all, he used to own that club for years when it had the name "Al Who." Now he might be inclined to say simply, "Who Cares?"

About an hour before the District Attorney's news conference, a different sort of media event occurred at Columbus State University. Herbert Greene announced he's resigning as men's basketball coach, but remaining athletic director. The first question here is obvious -- will a full-time desk job mean he gains back all that weight he's lost?

Herbert Greene has coached C.S.U. men's basketball for 25 years, but he admits this past season the bus rides for road trips became tougher to take. C'mon, Scott Miller - you could buy one new joke book a season....

Besides, Herbert Greene told WRBL the job of Columbus State University Athletic Director has become a full-time position. He has fund-raising to do, for instance -- since I assume he'll lose part of his salary to give up the basketball job.

Herbert Greene became emotional as he told a news conference: "The best thing that ever happened to me was moving to Columbus State, and to Columbus, Georgia." Hmmmm - are the owners of The Firehouse from out-of-town?

But in a strange move, C.S.U. assistant Doug Branson was named INTERIM coach of the Cougars until the end of next season. Does Columbus State really need a year to find a new basketball coach? Auburn University trustees can find new coaches in a couple of weeks....

The official search for a new men's basketball coach at Columbus State won't even begin until next fall. Major college programs never wait this long to make a decision - so I'm wondering if C.S.U. is being consulted by Brett Favre.

Now for other things which made news Monday:

+ The Muscogee County School Board voted to let "Midtown Inc." have control of the old Sears building next to the main library. Future development there is yet to be announced - so will Wal-Mart please decide now, and settle once and for all whether the rumors from a couple of years ago were true?

+ Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed a tough immigration bill. Starting in July, employers risk fines if they hire illegal immigrants - so if the servers at El Carrizo suddenly have trouble understanding Spanish, you'll know why.

+ The Atlanta Thrashers lost 6-4 at Washington to be eliminated from the National Hockey League playoffs. One sportscaster declared, "There's always next year" - somehow forgetting that last year, the N.H.L. didn't have a season.

+ Several Columbus fire units were called to Forrest and Floyd Roads, after a car crashed into a gasoline pump. I never imagined a collision in our city could make oil prices jump above 70 dollars a barrel....

(I hope no drivers get ideas from this crash. Running into gas pumps in frustration will only make the lines and gas prices longer for everybody else.)

+ Instant Message to Carla Wohl of ABC News: I heard you mention that Internet e-mail Monday, about boycotting ExxonMobil. Next time, do a Google search -- and maybe our blog will show up, so you can avoid being scammed by spam again. [10 Apr]

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