1 MAR 07: LI'L SMOKIES
Wednesday was a beautiful springlike day in Columbus -- with a high of 78 degrees F. and plenty of sunshine for most of the day. It was SO drop-dead gorgeous that I almost drove to the Miss Georgia pageant office, to see if a swimsuit competition would break out.
Well, we should correct part of that -- MOST of Columbus had plenty of sunshine Wednesday. Some people had smoke clouds over the heads. And they were NOT standing outside tobacco-free workplaces....
Four Muscogee County schools issued "smoke alerts" because of what Fort Benning called a "controlled burn" on post. Please note the Army said the BURN was controlled. They make no promises about the smoke from it.
Dawson Elementary School even allowed students with breathing problems to go home for the day, because of the smoke. This may explain why you hear more about schools holding "pizza parties," instead of bringing in a giant barbecue pit.
A Fort Benning officer said Tuesday's controlled burn went exactly as planned - but the smoke blew over parts of Columbus, because the wind shifted unexpectedly Tuesday night. People in Chattahoochee County showed amazing restraint, by not celebrating with a street dance.
Some school administrators said they were never told about the controlled burn at Fort Benning. Should that really be a surprise? Secret tactics such as this could come in handy in Iraq....
WRBL claimed the Columbus Fire Department was "flooded" with calls complaining about the smoke. But then a department spokesman said there were 12 calls from Tuesday noon to Wednesday morning. If 12 calls in about 18 hours equals a flood, Golden Park could be "packed" for every Catfish baseball game this season.
A few people who live near Fort Benning are sick and tired of the controlled burns. But officials on post say they're necessary to clear brush for Army activity. Of course, soldiers in basic training could get a mix of great exercise and machete practice....
I noticed a wave of smoke while driving down Macon Road Wednesday afternoon - but that may have been something different at Fort Benning. Officials on post reported a "range fire" developed from shooting, and destroyed three cars. This is why METRA needs to be thinking about expansion.
E-MAIL UPDATE: While we're talking about Muscogee County schools....
Article in today's Albany Herald..Charlie Flowers will be voted on tonight by Daughtery County School Board to be the new head coach at Daughtery High...Go to Albany Herald and click on sports and read article...
That article turned out to be accurate, as the Muscogee County Athletic Director was approved unanimously Wednesday as Dougherty's new football coach. So that rumor from last fall about moving to Carver High School [14 Nov 06] turned out to be bogus -- and its football team turned out just fine, anyway.
THE BIG BLOG QUESTION on school punishment ended Wednesday night -- and 80 percent of our voters say a middle school in Valley was wrong to remove bathroom tissue from restrooms. So this is one time when it's OK to "paper over" a problem.
Someone left an anonymous comment during our poll about trying to confirm the bathroom tissue incident in Valley. For some reason, a phone number written there for the Chambers County School Board had a 706 area code - in east Alabama. As if they can escape attention for this incident by making a run for the border....
BLOG UPDATE: Seth Harp's drive for Sunday alcohol sales across Georgia finally had a State Senate hearing Wednesday. He'd waited more than half the legislative session for this to happen - which must have felt like the bill was going through a 12-step program first.
An executive with Publix endorsed alcohol sales in stores on Sunday. He noted Sunday is the highest-volume day of the week at many Publix stores. This came as a surprise to me - and made me wonder if Saturday soccer leagues are stretching from dawn to dusk.
But Sunday alcohol sales are opposed by Aaron McCollough of the Troup Baptist Association and the "Fresh Fire" radio broadcast. He told Senators it's another sign of a "secular society" trying to take away our country's Christian heritage. You can always spot the preachers who serve grape juice for communion, instead of wine....
(Instant Message to GPB's "Lawmakers:" Aaron McCollough is NOT in charge of the "TROOP Baptist Association." I'm not even sure if he's for or against the Boy Scouts.)
The Sunday alcohol proposal was assigned to a Senate subcommittee. The committee chair said it will be reviewed and "perfected" there. He didn't dare say the bill would be aged....
Now for other items which were mixed together, on the last day of February:
+ The F.B.I. announced it will review two possibly race-related killings in Columbus from the 1950's. At this rate, Ed DuBose of the Georgia NAACP may be appealing to Columbus Council about the Kenneth Walker case until he dies.
+ "American Idol" champion Taylor Hicks performed at the RiverCenter. In an extensive interview with WXTX "News at Ten," Hicks revealed he's been chased by fans through the Baltimore airport. Yet somehow, he's resisted the temptation to shave his head.
(Taylor Hicks admits he's using a "scaled-down" band and crew on his concert tour. Hmmm - am I hearing something there about weak ticket sales?)
+ A 94-foot-wide white bubble was placed along Fourth Street near the Columbus Civic Center. It turned out to be a new airship called "Columbus," being made by Cyber Defense Systems. Those of us who were hoping for a pro beach volleyball tournament this summer were left disappointed.
+ "Inside Edition" reviewed Atlanta library records, and found 174 crimes occurred there in 2005. The next time a library offers an amnesty program for overdue books, look out for the undercover police....
+ Auburn lashed Louisiana State 80-68 in men's college basketball, for its 17th win of the year. Is it possible Auburn could sneak into the NCAA tournament? Or is Tommy Tuberville going to have to appear before the selection committee, to remind them of a couple of years ago?
BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Gas for $2.18 a gallon at Mystik on Brown Avenue.... milk for $2.49 a gallon at Walgreens.... and "Soul Patrol" T-shirts probably will be on sale at half-price somewhere....
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