29 JUL 07: BUSINESS AS USUAL

The Saturday night run began at 8:55 p.m. ET - about 15 minutes after sunset. I wait until the Sabbath is over to even begin stretching for my jogs. So don't even bother checking my medicine cabinet for illegal steroids.

I prayed for safety before my Saturday night activities. That's not really unusual, but four homicides in Columbus in a seven-day span certainly will put it on a praying person's mind. Besides, carrying a gun in my pocket while I'm running would weigh me down - and leave me concerned about it falling out and discharging toward someone fishing along the river.

Given the recent "surge in crime," as Mayor Jim Wetherington is calling it, I could have stayed indoors Saturday night. But I chose to run, as I normally do. After all, even a slow jogger becomes a moving target - and a bit harder to shoot.

But I took steps to make Saturday night's run a bit different. Whenever I passed someone on the Riverwalk or they approached me, I put up my empty hands. That way, I showed I was no harm to anyone. In five weeks, I'll do this again - when a college football team scores a touchdown on my radio headphones.

Other people were out along the Riverwalk Saturday night as well. A large family was wrapping up some fishing along the Chattahoochee, and a man rode a bicycle with blinking red lights in front. For a moment, I thought that man might be pulling a wheelbarrow behind him - to use as a makeshift ambulance.

The Saturday night course took me around South Commons and past Port Columbus. Between the softball fields and the naval museum, the Riverwalk has a wooden bridge which only seems to be lit at night when there's a full moon. I ran across it before complete darkness fell - and you have to start feeling the air ahead of you like a blinded man.

The course went beyond Rotary Park, toward RoadAmerica - and I approached a couple slowly walking in the same direction I was running. They were embracing, and seemingly loving a Saturday night stroll. I never like to scare people, so I clapped my hands a few times to make them aware of me. If they wanted to join in, I might actually try singing.

After the hand claps, my hands went up - and I told the couple as I jogged by them: "Too many shootings in this town the last two weeks."

That's when the strangest event of the night happened for me. The man in the couple started laughing. It wasn't like I was wearing a "humor blogger" T-shirt, either.

"I'm glad you can laugh at people dying, sir. But I can't." The man laughed some more, as I jogged away. Thankfully, he didn't pull out something and attack me from behind.

I turned the course around at RoadAmerica, running less than two miles non-stop on a steamy night. The couple vanished as I jogged toward home - so maybe they thought about what I said, concluded I could be dangerous and bailed out.

A side path off the Riverwalk led up an incline to Port Columbus, and from there to the South Commons softball fields. A couple of fields were busy with teams in the ASA softball classic. I even heard fans chanting and cheering - something you'd only hear at Golden Park on military appreciation nights.

Two men in bright blue outfits crossed in front of me on the sidewalk at the South Commons softball fields. I was all set to ask one of them if there had been any arrests - but then one said: "Did you have a scouting report on 'em?" Nope, they weren't bicycle police officers after all.

The softball players showed no fear of the surge in crime, even though their fields were practically across the highway from the Booker T. Washington Apartments. And to make matters worse, they were playing slow-pitch - not with 90-mile-per-hour fastballs which could hit criminals in the head.

The rest of the route was quiet, except for a couple of men who walked in front of me as I returned to my car. They also were out on a Saturday night, as if nothing has happened in the last week or so. That's really how it ought to be - even though in a city of more than 180,000 people, you're more likely to be the next murder victim than a Mega Millions winner.

After the run, I drove to pick up dinner - and noticed one other slightly concerning thing. The McDonald's drive-through area on Macon Road had a Muscogee County Sheriff's Deputy inside, talking with a cashier. Had someone named this place as a target? Was someone THAT upset with the new iced coffee?

While I handled my night with care, Columbus Police were busy with the opening night of "Project Safe Streets." WRBL identified several police cars as stopping at a "Cusseta Road laundry." Those washers must be really effective, at removing blood stains....

The new "Project Safe Streets" followed a 7:30 a.m. Friday meeting between Mayor Wetherington and Police Chief Ricky Boren. It's either get up extra-early to attack the crime problem, or stay up extra-late to clean up the damage.

Chief Ricky Boren told reporters Friday afternoon that the crime rate fluctuates up and down. He admitted right now it's going up. May it go down as quickly as the stock market did, over the last few days.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: From our e-mail comes what could be a first - a restaurant review, before a restaurant officially opens:

Well.....got to eat at the "Friends and Family" practice session for Charbroil Restuarant.......FANTASTIC!!!

The Carribean Shrimp is the best I have ever had!!! Worth the try is Mrs. Turner's recipe for an appetizer....Ritz Crackers/homemade pimento spread, and Smoked Sausages which is wonderful dipped in the special sauce!!.

My better half had the prime rib of which he is extremely picky about and it "melts" in your mouth.!!

Before I go any further and you start making comments....no there is no chinese on the menu. I think the restaurant will be a hit and the menu items don't taste like every other restaurant in the Columbus /Phenix City area.Prices are great as well........check it out..grand opening ribbon cutting is Monday and business to the public starts at lunch immediately following!!

Great Job Charbroil!!! Finally a unique restaurant that can be claimed for this area that is not bar-b-que(which in truth is more famous for it's Friday Turkey and Dressing Day anyway)

Thank you for defusing the most obvious punch line in this review. But one question remains unanswered - were all those items actually cooked on Charbroil grills?

It will be interesting to see how forgiving local diners are, when the Charbroil Restaurant opens on U.S. 280 in Phenix City. I've read some comments from people who don't exactly use the word "boycott," but still plan to stay away. I somehow doubt those people will go to Chinese buffets as an alternative.

Let's see what else is cooking, on this hot and humid weekend:

+ The Liberty Theatre hosted a "Hip-Hop Summit," attempting to emphasize a less criminal approach to the music. Maybe entertainment business owner Jay Hud is learning to do the same thing - because he was called "Jay" on one TV newscast and "Jihad" on another.

+ The Fairfax neighborhood of Valley lost power for eight hours. Alabama Power scheduled a planned night of service improvements for a Saturday night - on perhaps the muggiest night of the summer. Do customers get to run their air conditioners all day today, for half-price?

+ Fox News Channel reported one of Michael Vick's co-defendants is expected to enter a plea-bargained guilty plea Monday. You'll know things are getting bad when Atlanta Falcon wide receivers start denying they dropped any passes from Vick last season.

+ Instant Message to Hank Aaron: Keep one thing in mind - some people wanted to put an asterisk on YOUR home run record 33 years ago. You rode planes, not trains. You played plenty of games at night. And have you noticed the "Babe Ruth Baseball" program never has changed its name?

COMING MONDAY: The land fight which refuses to go away....

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