for 10 DEC 07: MAY I SEE THE BILL?

Everything seems to be settled, right? The city and school district worked out details of how to use the land around the main Columbus library, right? And the longer we're in a drought, the less likely we are to have really "green" space.

Well, maybe things are not completely settled. One of the library greenspace supporters has been asking Muscogee County School District officials how much they spent on legal fees in the dispute. I suppose this could be designed to start a new argument - that every dollar spent on attorneys could have been invested in a nice shrub.

Some of the financial documents provided by the Muscogee County School District have been passed along to us. One shows the Hatcher Stubbs law firm billed the district for more than $60,400 since July 31, simply on the library land case. That's about $800 for each page of the Education Park Coalition's lawsuit [30 Jul] - making me think those striking TV writers are writing the wrong things.

(These documents were provided by the school district's attorneys under the "Open Records Act." Imagine if oil companies had to do this sort of thing - the conspiracy theories about high prices might end once and for all.)

The financial breakdown from Hatcher Stubbs shows the Muscogee County Schools were charged for the library land case as recently as November 28. I'm not sure what that near-1,200 dollar bill is about. I could have bought Thanksgiving dinner for a few people for much less than that.

The documents even give a breakdown of how many hours were spent on the library land case. Eight attorneys at the Hatcher Stubbs firm spent almost 375 hours handling it - which is more than nine 40-hour work weeks. And then people wonder why some cases are postponed in court over and over again....

Where does the money go, when attorneys handle a case like this? The financial documents even reveal that, in amazing detail....

+ Internet searching: $180 for two hours. Tell your boss about that one, the next time you're asked to book an airline flight.

+ Travel: 2.1 hours, costing $219. Premium unleaded, I presume.

+ E-mail "to" and "from," combined: $825 for five hours. That free InBox I started with Yahoo 11 years ago looks smarter all the time.

The bill from the Hatcher Stubbs firm was addressed at a Muscogee County School Board meeting last week. The school district will pay half, while the regional library system will pay half. There apparently was no negotiation over the final sum. For instance, if the school board can prove the travel was by Lexus and not limousine....

But now that we've seen the legal bill for the Muscogee County School District in the library land case, there's an obvious next question. How much has the Education Park Coalition spent on ITS attorneys? Where are the bills on the other side? Might all this turn into a "Consumer Watch" hunt for the least expensive lawyers in Columbus?

And maybe there's a lesson here for ME. I need to go into the web-searching business. Simply e-mail me (for a small "handling charge," of course), and I'll gladly search the Internet for you. The rates will be reasonable. Really. Hey, compared to that downtown law firm, I might only charge you 50 bucks an hour.

And while we wait for that first customer at Burkard's Browsing Barn and Blog, we'll review an unusually busy Sunday in the news:

+ The high temperature in Columbus tied a record, at 77 degrees F. It was warm enough for me to take off my T-shirt in the late afternoon - to relive the old TV series, "77 Sunset Strip."

+ Which Columbus congregation is preparing to mail 90,000 invitations to a series of meetings on the creation-evolution debate? Does this group risk having a hall filled with scientists?

+ The Ledger-Enquirer had a front-page scoop, reporting the son of Columbus Councilor Gary Allen never was prosecuted for a positive cocaine test after a crash last fall. But what struck me was the downright-tabloid banner headline on page one: "REVELATION". Which Bible prophecy did the wreck of a city vehicle fulfill?

(New York tabloid editors could have done better than this headline -- maybe with something convicting like "Zach the Sniffer.")

+ The fourth annual Kenneth Walker memorial service was held at St. Mary's Road United Methodist Church. Walker supporters say yet another motion was filed in court last week, seeking a new examination of his death. But if Greta Von Susteren and Nancy Grace haven't picked up their cause after four years, it might be time to let it go.

+ The RiverCenter announced it's adding a second Jerry Seinfeld show in March, due to popular demand. I assume the tickets will be marked A and Bee....

+ Carver High School football coach Dell McGee admitted he's getting guidance from Shaw High's staff, in preparation for next weekend's AAA final in Cairo. So if the Tiger players are asked to put on boxing gloves at practice today, that's where the idea came from.

+ The Sugar Bowl announced 4,000 more tickets will be made available to Georgia fans, because Hawaii can't sell its full allotment. I'm not sure this is a matter of the long flight from Honolulu to the game. It could be all the cold-weather clothing Hawaii fans would have to buy, while staying in New Orleans.

(The governors of Georgia and Hawaii are making a fruit-flavored bet on the Sugar Bowl. Georgia's governor is offering peaches. Hawaii's governor is offering pineapples. And if the teams played at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona, either one would have to be made into salsa.)

+ Instant Message to Abby in the Jay Suzuki infomercials: I'm sorry - am I supposed to focus on the cars? I'm too busy admiring you. What is YOUR monthly payment?

THE BLOG OF AMERICA: A march in Hollywood Sunday called on both sides to settle the Writers' Guild strike. One marcher said restaurants which serve Hollywood studios are starting to close. Maybe the TV networks can make up for this by organizing prime-time sumo wrestling tournaments.

+ An "Oprah Winfrey Presents" movie was shown on ABC. After all the speeches she made over the weekend, I think the film's title was "For One More Vote."

+ No wait - that was Oprah Winfrey in South Carolina, campaigning again for presidential candidate Barack Obama. Winfrey urged voters to "step out of the box." Or in her case, outside the Beverly Hills mansion....

+ This Monday is a big day for two people. Albert Gore receives the Nobel Peace Prize. Michael Vick learns his prison sentence. And you can tell a lot about your friends and neighbors, by which event they consider more important.

The former Vice President is in Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. If you see him walking around Oslo in a beach shirt and sandals, you'll know global warming really is a problem.

(Someone again asked Al Gore if he plans to run for president. He answered he has no plans to do so. And at this point, he's running out of talk show hosts to endorse him.)

+ Meanwhile, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will be sentenced for his role in a dogfighting ring. Colleagues in the case have received more than a year in prison -- but as we all know, Vick has found a way to scramble away from serious trouble for years.

+ New England advanced to 13-0 on the football season by pasting Pittsburgh 34-13. Steeler safety Anthony Smith had guaranteed a win over the Patriots - which makes me wonder how much Joe Namath was drinking when he made HIS famous guarantee almost 40 years ago.

+ Someone conducted a survey of department store and shopping mall Santa Claus actors - and found the average one weighs 256 pounds. [True/ABC News] Their names are being sent to the National Football League office, for possible second jobs during the playoffs as fill-in linebackers.

+ The Salvation Army announced it needs 5,000 volunteers to sort toys, and remove the ones which are unsafe for children. If you tickle Elmo and his eyes roll around the back of his head, that's a clue....

Today's main item was the result of a blog reader's tip. To offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation, advertise here or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

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