24 AUG 08: YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE FAY
"If you prayed for rain, God answered your prayer," a pastor said during a Saturday evening service in Columbus. OK - then who was the smart-aleck who prayed for winds strong enough to knock down trees?
The center of Tropical Storm Fay went west on U.S. 98 across the Florida panhandle, but Columbus felt plenty of impact. A combination of immense rain and gusty winds knocked down trees in several places. But look on the bright side - it's just about time to start preparing a stash of firewood.
In one case, a tree fell onto a car on Gentian Boulevard near the main post office. That apparently explains why my mail wasn't delivered Saturday. The old motto says not "rain, snow or gloom of night" will stop the postman - but it says nothing about traffic jams on two-lane roads.
Then there was the 100-year-old oak tree which fell on an Episcopal church in Auburn. That tree will have people talking, when it's covered with tinsel in the fellowship hall in December....
WRBL showed a picture of Auburn University students who evacuated classrooms into a hallway, because of a possible tornado. I'm glad they were safe - but c'mon, they were standing! Don't they teach students to get on their knees and cover their heads these days? Or was that declared a church-state violation?
Even though lightning was minimal, the rain and wind also caused scattered power outages across the area. But thankfully, things could have been a lot worse. Outages next Saturday at the start of college football season would have caused a massive panic.
Occasional heavy rain could be dangerous as well. WXTX "News at Ten" showed a Domino's Pizza delivery car flipped over on Interstate 185. Pizza boxes reportedly were scattered everywhere - but I really don't think that counts as a "hand-tossed" pizza.
While I couldn't find an official amount online Saturday night, Columbus received about two inches of rain during the day. And I received a great name for a musical group, if Derek Kinkade and Steve Graham ever want to start one - the "Outer Rain Band."
(The drenching arc from Fay also is called a "feeder band" - but that sounds too much to me like high school marchers on a road trip to the other side of the state.)
As if the soaking in Columbus was not enough, a tornado watch was issued late in the evening. It was scheduled to last until 4:00 a.m. ET -- giving some families an excuse to stay up and watch the Olympic gold-medal men's basketball game on NBC.
As you might guess, the rainy weather caused problems with all sorts of Columbus events....
+ The Space Science Center's "evening under the stars" was moved indoors. An "evening under the umbrellas" just didn't sound right.
+ A day of canvassing was planned for the Barack Obama campaign. Instead, canvasses were prepared to cover storm-damaged roofs.
+ As far as I know, the "Midnight Express Run" in midtown went on as scheduled. But I hope the crew put warning cones around the rain puddles - because some runners pay top dollars for their shoes, and don't want them damaged by silly things like water.
+ A group in the church I'm attending was supposed to have a Saturday night potluck dinner. But for reasons which had nothing to do with the weather, it was moved up to Friday night without my knowledge. "Fickle Fay" has nothing on single adults with scattered interests.
TODAY'S BLOG OLYMPIC MOMENT: Albany's Angelo Taylor won a second gold medal Saturday, as part of the U.S. men's 4x400 meter relay team. A pro football player must have called Beijing, and convinced the runners to put "stick-em" on their hands to hold the baton.
E-MAIL UPDATE: As the Beijing Games conclude today, a blog reader has a different Olympic thought....
Glad to see IOC is checking on age of Chinese gymnastic team...That youngest one looked 11...Also,the President of the IOC told Jamaican sprinter,Bolt, his "showboating" was not appreciated. So,there really is an IOC. Maybe the IOC should come and run the government Hurts boro.
I'm not really sure why people are making such a fuss about the ages of gymnasts. It's not like they're going to sign endorsement deals to sell beer.
But hmmmm - what if the International Olympic Committee took charge of Hurtsboro? I'm still not sure residents like Robert Schweiger would be happy. For one thing, all the proposed ordinances would be read in French as well as English....
Meanwhile, a local activist is upset with the Ledger-Enquirer - and passed on a "cc" of her complaint to us:
Why didn't you report this- AGAIN? The minutes are on my website under Dev Auth Min
Minutes from development authority which gave 80 Million in tax exemptions to Adams. The Development Authority Atty is the atty for Adams"
"Upon motion made by Fernando Verdree and seconded by Carmen Cavezza, the Authority unanimously approved the Inducement Resolution in the form attached hereto as Exhibit "E" in the amount of $80,000,000 for the Geo. M. Adams Co. Project and authorized the execution of all documents pertaining to the bond issue. For information the bond amount does not include any land cost. Ed Sprouse disclosed that firm of Page, Scrantom, Sprouse, Tucker & Ford has been involved but that he personally has not."
Deborah Owens....
http://www.gingerlake.com
The minutes I found on that web site show this vote occurred in March - but they never say what the George M. Adams Company's project is. Maybe we're going to have a high-tech "Adams Farm" on Adams Farm Road after all.
The home page of that web site also has an e-mail from Becca Hardin of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, in which she says the Columbus Development Authority "does not grant tax exemptions." Apparently the "inducement resolutions" are left to the local Board of Tax Assessors - and I guess that board does the inducing labor.
Now for other news items which found dry shelter over the last few days....
+ Retired pro football player Jeremiah Castille handed out hundreds of backpacks to students at Davis Elementary School. Any child who took a backpack after receiving a "Kits for Kids" pack should be taught a "virtue of the week" lesson in sharing.
+ A group of monks from Tibet prepared sand sculptures at an art museum in Auburn. Let's all hope the Olympic beach volleyball players stay in California for the next few weeks....
+ A Texas State University survey ranked Alabama the seventh-worst state in the country for litter. Georgia apparently missed the "worst ten" list - so apparently Georgia has the harder-working prison inmates along the highways.
+ Instant Message to the Columbus Catfish: You DID remember to cover the Golden Park infield, didn't you? Or should we assume this week's final homestand isn't going to happen, and start watching for the U-Haul trailers?
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