3 AUG 08: HERE FOR THE LONG RUN

The lowest gas price I found in the area Saturday was $3.64 a gallon, at two stations in Ladonia. One was a Castle station on U.S. 80 - but if the sign doesn't say "White Castle," some of us think something important is missing.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Despite high fuel prices, two METRA buses sat running idle in downtown Columbus for more than three hours Saturday night - and the drivers told your blog they were simply following orders. Please tell me these instructions did NOT come from the city budget office....

"SPECIAL" said the marquee outside the two METRA buses, which were parked along Front Avenue outside the Trade Center. Sadly, the special part did NOT involve burning lower-priced liquified natural gas.

My Saturday night jogging course took me by these buses, and I noticed both were empty except for their drivers. Yet their engines kept running, within eyesight of the upper floors of the Government Center. But then again, the city officials had driven away from downtown for the weekend....

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, yet I kept running north toward the Dillingham Street Bridge. Too many memories remained of the prior Saturday night - when I turned around for a spectator's second comment on the Phenix City Riverwalk, only to find his big white dog jumping out to greet me.

But as the run continued, I decided to make a return trip past the Trade Center on the way home. That return came about 20 minutes later -- as on a hot and humid Saturday night, I ran out of gas before the METRA buses did.

The two buses hadn't moved an inch since the first pass -- and as it happened, the two bus drivers (one male, one female) were standing and talking on the sidewalk when I came up to them. "What's the special event?" I asked them.

"Something to do with the military," the man answered. If these were soldiers who recently returned from guarding Iraqi oil fields, would that make it acceptable?

"Pardon my asking a stupid question," I then said, "but is it normal for you to keep empty buses running, burning city tax money?" Both drivers laughed at that question. Sometimes a humor blogger gets chuckles when he's not even trying.

"We're just doing what they told us to do," the male METRA driver told me. The female driver agreed, then quickly tried to change the subject to my running -- perhaps realizing I was "raising a stink" with more than my sweaty T-shirt.

"About five days a week," I told the woman about my regular running regimen. "I keep running, you keep running." She thankfully found that humorous,
too.

Then I turned back to the male METRA driver. "How long have you been here?"

"Since about six o'clock," the man said glancing at his watch. So these two drivers had been waiting on Front Avenue for three-and-a-half hours, earning very easy city money - and burning even more in the process, thanks to their buses.

As I walked/jogged home from there, I remembered an e-mail we received in April about school buses running during field trips. The Muscogee County School District later announced it officially discourages that [24 Apr]. If the drivers I met Saturday night are right, METRA has no such policy - unless the drivers were watching for soldiers racing out of the Trade Center to go AWOL.

It turns out a Pittsburgh TV station investigated a similar discovery last week - and a city bus director claimed more fuel is spent by starting an engine than letting it run idle. An anti-pollution group called that an "old wives' tale." And considering plenty of old wives probably ride buses, they're ready to accept that explanation....

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E-MAIL UPDATE: The person who offered last week's "Hot Tip" about the Lee County Commission election has sent us a follow-up....

Richard, I'm so sorry that I didn't read your e-mail to me requesting more information until today. I could have saved you a number of phone calls. Unfortunately Thurs. is my busiest day of the week and I seldom have time to check my e-mails that day.

It's a real shame that the Probate Judge of Lee County will not return your calls. But then he's not on the ballot this year and you know how many politicians are. They only seem interested in the citizens they are supposed to serve when they need their votes.

As far as the Registrars Office is concerned they have on their computers in their office the names, addresses, and the District that each voter in Lee County lives in. If there is a question they can refer to the maps on their computers to determine each person's district.

You would think that the employees in the courthouse would have known what was going on about this matter since there has been rumors and talk about this matter in the Smiths area for months and we are about as far away from the courthouse as you can get in Lee County.

I guess we will never know (since the Probate Judge won't answer questions) as to why he waited for months after the candidate had spent lots of time and money campaigning to determine that he doesn't live in District 3. Of course the Judge is a Republican and if the Democrats don't find another candidate real quick the Republican on the ballot will win (how convenient).

This isn't the first time this Probate Judge has made mistakes concerning maps, addresses and citizens right to vote. In the Smiths Station Incorporation election over 8 yrs ago this individual got to decide who lived within the new city's boundaries and was therefore eligible to vote. Some residents claim he wouldn't allow them to vote but now the city says they are within the city's boundaries. And others complain that he determined they lived in the city and let them vote and now the city officials say they don't live in the city. Of course by determining who could vote he in essence really determined the outcome of the election.

While Probate Judge Bill English isn't talking to us, he did talk to the Ledger-Enquirer. He told the newspaper, "On July 15, a question was raised" - but he never mentioned who raised the question. I don't think Common Cause Columbus is trying to take over East Alabama quite that quickly....

Keep in mind that the Lee County Democratic Chair still hasn't returned our calls, either. But Patsy Boyd Parker also talked with the Ledger-Enquirer, saying the party ran out of options for keeping John Johnson on the District 3 ballot. Well, it almost did - but asking for an investigation from Alabama's Republican Attorney General simply wouldn't look good.

We'll draw the line on that topic right here - and move on to other discoveries from the weekend:

+ A Friday evening thunderstorm dumped heavy rain on downtown Columbus. It sounded from my home like small bits of hail fell - unless those were beer cans getting tossed around, after my neighbors left them in the yard.

+ Fort Benning held its annual "Soldiers and Family Appreciation Day." It included a concert by country singer Miranda Lambert - the woman I'm declaring the winner of the "Carrie Underwood Wanna-Be" contest.

+ WLTZ finished its week in "Your Hometown, Americus" by interviewing the President of Georgia Southwestern State University. The nameplate on Kendall Blanchard's desk actually says he's the "10^th President" of GSW. Well, it's not like they can number Bulldog mascots there....

+ WEAM-AM "1580 The Zone" switched its programming to Sporting News Radio for a day, then returned to ESPN Radio Saturday. What was going on here? Did Colin Cowherd and Mike Tirico stage a holdout for a better contract?

+ The pre-season football coaches' poll came out, with Georgia ranked number one. So poll voters say Georgia is the best team in the country, but only the second-best team in their own division of the Southeastern Conference?! It makes you wonder if one of these polls involved Florida ballot counters.

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