9 JAN 07: RUNDOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE?

If you missed our appearance on WLTZ's "Rise N Shine" Monday morning, we talked about several things. One caller tried to complain to me about a newspaper delivery man driving by at 5:00 a.m. playing loud rap music. Hey, look on the bright side - you might not need an alarm clock anymore.

The hottest topic on Rise N Shine was something I never expected - a few secluded blocks along the Chattahoochee River. People in the Bibb City neighborhood don't want to claim them. Other people say something should be done about them. And if the blocks were in Phenix City, officials probably would have bought them out by now for high-rise condos.

You'll find this area by taking a drive down First Avenue to either Riverside Drive or 27^th Street, then turning toward the Chattahoochee. I made this drive Monday, after hearing callers talk about it - and I promise, you won't slide into the river if your brakes fail.

(The current map in the BellSouth Yellow Pages shows a "McLihenney Elementary School" not far from this area. Maybe AT&T needs to bring in that new way of doing business....)

A caller to Rise N Shine said she took visitors to Riverside Drive recently to show off the Riverwalk, and was appalled by the houses she saw there. She wondered how anyone possibly could live under those conditions. I concluded more Columbus residents live that way than she realizes -- and people need to leave Green Island Hills more often.

Even before you turn off First Avenue, there's a house which clearly has seen better days. Perhaps this is one of the places described by callers as a makeshift shelter for homeless people. It certainly looks like the pile of junk in the backyard has been mined by every antique mall in town.

I turned west at Riverside Drive, and was greeted to my right by a "BAD DOG" sign. I didn't take a picture of the big dog standing on the other side of the fence -- because it might accuse me of drive-by shooting.

Instead, I snapped a picture of homes on the left side of Riverside Drive - houses presumably with a back porch overlooking the river. They looked old to me, but NOT necessarily rundown eyesores. Maybe the residents don't want visitors to think about how valuable their properties really are.

We exited Riverside Drive by driving up 27^th Street. The houses appear old and small, but tight spacing should be expected in an older neighborhood such as that. Many cities have streets which look like that - and actually might be considered "historic district" material. Those law offices and art galleries on Broadway simply are spoiled.

(There actually was a rental car parked along 27^th Street, outside one of the houses. And it didn't look like it was rented by some land developer from metro Atlanta - since a paper tag clearly was visible, inviting thieves.)

The initial caller to Rise N Shine wondered what could be done to clean up this neighborhood. Then someone else called to report Columbus city government is NOT allowing new permits in that part of town. So at least the Baker Village residents aren't likely to move there....

I suppose the owners of the homes around Riverside Drive could be reported to Environmental Court. But from what I saw Monday, not many of the old houses really looked dilapidated. I wouldn't be afraid to live there - as long as that "bad dog" was keeping all the criminals out.

E-MAIL UPDATE: We apparently need to clarify one of our notes from Sunday....

Are you serious? The Veterans Parkway Winn Dixie is closing? Oh no..my favorite store on that side of town..

No no no! I did NOT say that supermarket definitely is closing. The line about "guessing the date" when it will close was the punch line. Perhaps packing too much of a punch, in this case....

My point was that the opening of a Sam's Club and a Wal-Mart SuperCenter near Columbus Park Crossing over the next two weeks is supposed to kill all the businesses around it. At least, that's what some critics in Midland say - which makes you wonder why Kohl's even bothered to open a store.

But consider what's happened in Phenix City in recent years. A Winn-Dixie, a FoodMax and a Save-a-Lot all closed on the 280 Bypass once a Wal-Mart SuperCenter opened. Two of those storefronts remain empty - and the Phenix City Police are making sure the former Club Roc doesn't sell beer and wine, even on Sunday afternoons.

So while we watch for the "quitting business" signs to be trucked over from Parisian, let's check other musings from a busy Monday:

+ White House officials announced President Bush will visit Fort Benning Thursday, hours after his big televised speech on Iraq. If a fleet of cargo jets arrives during the day Wednesday, I guess we'll know which direction he's taking....

(Mayor Jim Wetherington told WRBL he has NOT been invited yet to the President's speech at Fort Benning. In fact, he had to give the White House staff his Social Security number for screening! And you STILL think the mayoral race was non-partisan?)

+ In a pre-emptive strike, Katie Couric brought the CBS Evening News to Fort Stewart. Couric seemed surprised when Third Infantry Division Commander Rick Lynch said his soldiers will use the best equipment available. What did she expect - shotguns bought from an Army-Navy Surplus Store?

+ Falcon's Tattoos owner Fred Sibary told the evening news he had to move his shop to Veterans Parkway, because Columbus city zoning no longer allows new tattoo parlors on Broadway. Why was this change made? Tattoo needles are a great crime prevention tool....

+ Students spent their first day at the new downtown "Riverpark" campus of Columbus State University. One student said she felt like she was in Chicago or Boston, not Columbus. So when is C.S.U. starting an ice hockey team?

+ Sonny Perdue was sworn in for a second term as Georgia's Governor. He said he had a "2020 vision" for the state's future, with smaller classes in schools and college students receiving the HOPE Scholarship - at colleges where they may mass together in larger classes, then party non-stop all weekend.

(Governor Perdue made a point of taking the oath of office on a Bible opened to Joshua 24:15. Some Republicans may have longed for him to quote verse 20 - which says if you serve strange gods, the Lord will "do you hurt and consume you.")

+ In perhaps the most stunning note of the new Georgia legislative session, Gerald Bryant announced he's retiring from GPB's "Lawmakers" for health reasons. Bryant anchored the program 22 years - long enough to see Zell Miller zig and zag an estimated 50 times.

+ Aides to Alabama Congressman Artur Davis said he will NOT challenge Jeff Sessions for the U.S. Senate next year. Instead, Davis plans to run for statewide office in 2010 - once more people can figure out who he is.

+ Bobby Petrino was introduced as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This move from the University of Louisville has several advantages. For one thing, Auburn trustee Bobby Lowder won't have to fly for Petrino's next job interview.

(Bobby Petrino will earn about $4.8 million a year as the Falcons' head coach. I think he should celebrate by going to a top-dollar restaurant, and give Nick Saban a thank-you dinner.)

+ Meanwhile, Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey admitted he's been interviewed for the top job with the N.F.L. Miami Dolphins. This is getting confusing! Where is Jim Mora Jr. going to coach -- Georgia Tech or Louisville?

+ Instant Message to Florida head football coach Urban Meyer: Who called to congratulate you first? President Bush, to continue a tradition -- or Tommy Tuberville, for proving his point?

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