12 NOV 08: MR. BIG AUCTIONEER

Well, what do you know - Bill Heard Chevrolet isn't quite out of business after all. It's simply moved the sale of some of its cars to a new location. And it didn't even bother taking over one of those vacant car lots in the middle of Phenix City.

The Tuesday evening news revealed Bill Heard Enterprises is selling used cars on eBay. You can even see the Bill Heard sign in front of many pictures - so if you haven't taken the historical photos by now, this could be your last chance to snatch one.

Bill Heard Enterprises apparently set up an eBay "store" in late May, well before the dealerships shut down. Yet a group of used cars was posted for sale there last week, well after the bankruptcy filing. Talk about getting them coming and going....

The cars and trucks offered by Bill Heard on eBay are less than three years old. The oldest model I found was a 2006 Silverado with about 25,000 miles - and it's being offered for $20,000. Some of the managers still have big mortgage payments to meet, you know.

We should note NO new cars are on sale in the Bill Heard store. They're apparently combined for sale with the dealership in bankruptcy court. Sell the building and the vehicles separately, and you have.... well, what DID Christ Community Church do with those cars near Macon Road?

So is Bill Heard Enterprises cheating, by selling used cars on eBay? One potential buyer for the dealership says no. Georgia State Senator Emanuel Jones explained Tuesday the bankrupt company still has to meet a payroll. It does?! How did the accountants and lawyers survive the shutdown in September?

Emanuel Jones adds Bill Heard's creditors must know about the sales of used cars on eBay, because otherwise it wouldn't be happening. Jones apparently hasn't read the Better Business Bureau's complaint file on the Chevy dealership.

Another sort of auction is underway involving Bill Heard Enterprises - for its dealerships. The corporate web site shows auctions were held in Birmingham Tuesday, for locations in suburban Atlanta and Las Vegas. But can you really sell new cars in Las Vegas - given the odds against winning at casinos?

The Bill Heard dealership in Columbus is NOT on the schedule for a bankruptcy auction right now. Emanuel Jones still hopes to work out an agreement to buy it, and bring back at least some of the laid-off employees. So you'll understand if those workers already are singing, "O Come O Come Emanuel...."

Meanwhile, the price of General Motors stock dropped below three dollars a share Tuesday. It hasn't been that low since 1943. With Bill Heard Chevrolet and Cadillac shut down, a lot of car customers may have given up and started shopping for Kias.

Here's what else made news on Veterans Day this year....

+ Your blog was one of several Columbus locations receiving a strange computerized phone call. A synthesized voice claimed there was a problem with my TIC Federal Credit Union account. Well yes, there WAS a big problem - as I've never had a TIC account.

+ Someone fired several shots at upper floors of the Aflac tower. No one was hurt - but this may go down as the most ridiculous attempt at duck hunting in Columbus history.

+ WXTX "News at Ten" interviewed a doctor who teaches sex therapy at Columbus State University. You wondered why enrollment suddenly jumped this fall, didn't you?

+ Georgia Congressman Paul Broun confirmed to the Associated Press he considers President-Elect Obama a "Marxist." By doing this, Broun also confirms he's becoming the Georgia Republican Party's answer to Cynthia McKinney....

(Broun bases his statement on a July speech, in which Mr. Obama talked of creating a civilian force to ensure national security. Wait until the President-Elect takes office, and learns the National Guard has been doing that sort of thing for about 200 years.)

+ American University researchers told National Public Radio Georgia had the second highest increase in voter turnout, in last week's election. Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin probably were stunned to discover the state had that many Libertarians.

+ Outgoing Opelika High School football coach Spence McCracken told WRBL he might coach somewhere else next year, instead of retiring completely. Hmmmm - does the answer depend on how Saturday's Georgia-Auburn game turns out?

+ The Atlanta Hawks shook off Chicago 113-108, and now are 6-0 to start the basketball season. If this streak keeps up, things could be very different the next time these two teams meet in late December - and I won't have to listen to the game on a Chicago radio station.

(Besides Atlanta, the only other unbeaten team in the N.B.A. is the Los Angeles Lakers. This season could come down to which team trades for Kevin Garnett first.)

+ Instant Message to Tire-Master on Veterans Parkway downtown: If all the other candidates are taking down their campaign signs, you should do the same. Especially since your sign says "Weeks 4 Coroner," and that vote was four months ago.

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