4 JAN 07: LISTING FORWARD

It may have taken years for Columbus to have one freestanding Starbucks, but the city is not far behind the curve in another hip west-coast development. We found out Wednesday there's now a Columbus area for a trendy web site -- and thankfully, it's not as silly as some of the guys pointing cameras at themselves on YouTube.

Columbus and Auburn now have their own versions of "craigslist." It's a web site much like a classified section of the newspaper. People buy and sell items, post jobs and personals - and in the great tradition of the Internet, there's a link to warnings about fraud.

A couple of other warnings might be helpful, if you're visiting craigslist for the first time. For one thing, my web browser shows a little Vietnam-era "peace" icon on the address bar. With no noticeable links to anything miliary-related, this site may be blocked at any business with "Tidwell" in its name.

Craigslist also has links to more than 70 different "discussion forums," on everything from religion and etiquette to "atheist" and "queer." There's even one called "P.O.C." - or "People of Color." So if they get tattoos, I suppose they have POC-marks.

But the craigslist discussion forums certainly are for adults only. I checked the Sports forum Wednesday night, and most of the entries in a thread on Nick Saban contained filthy language. Those Auburn fans really can be jealous, can't they?

The first mainstream word of craigslist arriving in this area apparently came in the "Columbus Community News" - which is to North Columbus what The Courier and Eco Latino are to the south side. Someday all those papers will cross Manchester Expressway.

It's interesting that a weekly paper was first with the news about craigslist - because in other cities the web site is giving newspapers fits, by taking away their classified advertising income. I think the ad sales offices call this a "game of column inches."

But because the Columbus craigslist is new, only a few local classified ads were there when I checked Wednesday. A few people were selling tickets to next month's Toby Keith concert at the Civic Center - getting whatever profits they can, before the show is called off for lack of interest.

You can also post upcoming activities and events at the Columbus craigslist. In fact, there are separate sections for "activities" and "events." I'm not sure what the difference is. Maybe an event is where everyone sits around, and nobody's active.

E-MAIL UPDATE: They say it helps to have friends in high places, and it appears we have a new one in Russell County:

Dear Sir;

Now that I've found you - I'm tempted to become ( as I've been told by others) a real pain in the #@*! I will try to resist.

I admit to being "driven" by the wrongdoing that is commonplace here in "Hurt"sboro - and realize that there are more pressing issues to the majority throughout the County. But, as you know - it only hurts when YOU are the one getting burned!!

I have a ton of facts; that I've kept to myself (I've informed the authorities) because I thought publishing them would interfere with any investigation. For example - my research indicates that two City Officials are guilty of criminal acts, But trying to get warrants issued has been impossable!!

Oh well! Now that the elections, and the HO-HO-HO season is over; maybe someone besides Sheriff Boswell will pay more attention.

Constable R.J. Schweiger....

Maybe the "ho-ho-ho season" has ended in his part of Russell County. But it never seems to stop in parts of Columbus South....

Constable Bob Schweiger sent the blog a separate e-mail Wednesday, naming the two Hurtsboro officials he believes are criminals. But we are NOT naming them for the moment here. We have not talked with them for their side of the story. And if we drive to Hurtsboro in a car with a Georgia license plate, that alleged armed gang might stop us at the city limits.

You would think Russell County Sheriff Tommy Boswell would have time to check on alleged corruption in Hurtsboro. After all, he's not the law officer trying to shut down bars....

But Bob Schweiger is about to lose someone who potentially could be a big ally in cleaning up Hurtsboro. The Wednesday evening news reminded me that Probate Judge Al Howard is about to leave office. If he can find small rules violations by county commissioners, he might be able to put the entire Hurtsboro City Council in jail.

Speaking of crime crackdowns in Russell County, Wednesday night's late news revealed Conrad Fowler had died in Tuscaloosa. He prosecuted some of the Phenix City corruption cases of the 1950's -- and you can't help wondering if he's been consulting Police Chief Brian McGarr over the last couple of months.

Now for other news notes from Wednesday:

+ Nick Saban agreed to become head football coach at the University of Alabama, after weeks of saying he wanted to stay with pro football's Miami Dolphins. Shame on Athletic Director Mal Moore! He used the same sort of tactics which cost Mike Price that very job -- only Saban's temptation is money.

(The Dothan Eagle reports more than 300 people were waiting at the Tuscaloosa airport to welcome Nick Saban. Either these football fans are incredibly desperate - or they're ready to give Saban resumes, to work as assistant coaches.)

+ From the Blog Byway Patrol: Seventh Street is closed downtown from Broadway to Second Avenue, and First Avenue is closed from Sixth to Eighth Street. The city is doing serious sewer repairs at Seventh and First - and that must be all, because the Historic Columbus Foundation wouldn't want "Streetscape" ruining anything there.

+ An afternoon run in the downtown area found one driver missing a stop sign on Eighth Street, and another driver going the wrong direction on one-way Fourth Street near the Oglethorpe Bridge. Is there any way we can extend "Safety Cab" until Martin Luther King Day?

+ WRBL interviewed Chattahoochee County officials - and inserted clips of a Cottonmouths fight, Coach Nick Saban and a boxing match. If you didn't know better, you might have thought ESPN's "Game Day" was heading to Cusseta this weekend.

+ Two former leaders of Atlanta's Morris Brown College were sentenced to home confinement, for stealing federal education dollars. They avoid prison time, while Linda Schrenko doesn't?! Where is the justice in.... oh yeah, I forgot. Schrenko used some of her money for a facelift.

+ The board of directors of Atlanta-based Home Depot fired President Bob Nardelli. So now you can apply to Arthur Blank for two jobs, not simply one....

(Bob Nardelli leaves Home Depot with a compensation package worth $210 million. If new mayor Jim Wetherington wants to fully fund public safety, he may have tried for the wrong job.)

+ Instant Message to Georgia Lottery President Margaret DeFrancisco: Some of us in Columbus are surprised at you. In your new commercial about one million HOPE scholarships, we thought sure you'd say at some point, "Thank you, Alabama."

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