30 DEC 08: YOU RAP, WE WRAP

Monday was one of those days for me. You know what I mean, don't you - one of THOSE days. When the workday lasts twice as long as you expect. When you finally realize you've done something incorrectly for months. When, when.... well, when you can't even come up with a good punch line about it all.

So we're waving the white flag a bit today, and letting a couple of e-mails lead the discussion. First we hear from a local political leader....

Dear Richard,

I hope you had a Merry Christmas. As always, I enjoy reading your daily take on things. I did want to take exception to a portion of your 28 December 2008 blog entry. You stated:

"The Education Park Coalition announced in September it would take the "greenspace" issue around the main public library to the Georgia Supreme Court. Yet have you noticed the improvements along Macon Road in recent weeks, with shrubs and trees being planted? Before long, there will be so much greenery that we'll forget about the lawsuit - and library critics might forget it's even there."

It is correct that we filed with the Georgia Supreme Court an appeal of the Court of Appeals decision that affirmed Judge Pullen's dismissal of the lawsuit regarding the misuse of SPLOST funds by the Columbus Consolidated Government among others. However, the announcement in September was made by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer that the Supreme Court had decided to take the case up on appeal.

In an average year the Court receives about 600 applications to review civil appeals that have already been ruled upon and of those it decides to review about 40 of them. In other words, our case is in the 6 percent or so of cases that the Supreme Court has decided is worth another review. That is what was significant about September's event.

As for your assertion about the amount of greenery around the Library, it is true that at long last monies long promised for landscaping in the front have evidently been spent in accordance with the 2001 Master Plan. The problem is with the 19 acre moonscape behind the Library that runs from its back door to Boxwood, to the old Carmike property and to the Rigdon Road School. It remains abandoned fencing and broken asphalt. That is always the area that has been in contention and remains so to this day, as none of the Defendants have spent one dollar to do anything to improve that area and bring it into compliance with the Master Plan adopted back in 2001.

I believe I have somewhere in my file a photograph of the Library property taken standing at the Carmike property looking back toward the Library. I will be happy to forward it to you. The only vegetation is the weeds you find between the cracks in the asphalt.

I have an update on Senator Harbison but I will save that, perhaps for later today.

Regards,

Josh McKoon

We double-checked the blog archives, and I'll grant Mr. McKoon part of his historical argument. The Education Park Coalition announced a new appeal of the greenspace case in May [15 May]. But the "announcement in September" actually reached us by e-mail -- not from the newspaper, but Mr. McKoon! [24 Sep] It really pays to have Yahoo's unlimited e-mail storage.

The September e-mail from Josh McKoon said the greenspace appeal will be on the Georgia Supreme Court's "oral argument calendar" for January. The date is now set as the first case of the year on Monday, 12 January. But most reporters probably will show up for the last case of the morning - hoping Atlanta Bread Company will bring free samples.

It appears the Education Park Coalition will be in a "front door, back door" argument with the city, about the land around the Columbus Public Library. Is it still possible to achieve a compromise - and use all that asphalt to build a second skateboard park?

Hmmmm - what sort of "update" might the Muscogee County Republican Chair have on State Senator Ed Harbison? Could it be the recent contribution to his campaign fund from the political action committee for Wal-Mart? I suppose a $500 check costs less than building a new SuperCenter on Buena Vista Road....

Our other e-mail responds to a message we posted 23 December:

Mr. Burkard,



Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to respond to this allegation prior to the posting on your website. Claire Marie Richards is not currently nor has she ever been on the Pioneer Little League Board of Directors. Thanks!!!



Susan Darrah Boyd

Pioneer Little League

This reached us Monday -- six days after we mentioned the denial from a Pioneer Little League official by phone. But other officials probably were preoccupied last week. You know -- scouting for new talent in Dothan and Albany.

Here we are at the end of December - and a youth baseball camp opened in Columbus Monday. It's going on through Wednesday at Pacelli High and St. Anne Schools. And the organizers are so optimistic that the sessions are in the morning, from 9:00 to 12:00 noon.

But then again, Northern Little League will open its 2009 registration in a couple of weekends. It's almost like youth basketball does not exist in Columbus - or else video games like "NBA '09" are enough for training new stars these days.

We thank everyone who writes us, pro and con. Now before we wrap up our review of 2008, let's check some Monday headlines:

+ Mayor Jim Wetherington told WXTX "News at Ten" Police Chief Ricky Boren is responding to Columbus's deadly December by creating ten new "beats." At least someone is! The Ledger-Enquirer and WRBL seem to have cut their number of news beats in half.

(Mayor Wetherington added Columbus is up to 30 new officers hired, on the way to 100. But he says the impact of the additional officers might not be evident for a year. He'd better be right -- or Wetherington probably won't be evident in the mayor's office in two years.)

+ Columbus Police reported someone crashed a truck through a door at Peachtree Mall. There's no evidence anything was stolen, and the driver crashed near a nail salon. Hmmmm - what percentage of nail polish consists of alcohol?

+ Stephen Hyles took the oath of office as Municipal Court Judge. Let's be thankful outgoing Judge Haywood Turner didn't follow the tradition of the Muscogee County School Board, and offer Hyles a handgun.

+ The owner of Alabama Wholesale Furnishings revealed he plans to reopen his Phenix City store in the spring as an "antique mall." So instead of selling the latest in bedroom suites, the items which haven't sold in months will be labeled as "antiques" at a higher price.

+ Richard Hyatt's web site reported billionaire Mark Cuban has bought ten percent control of Carmike Cinemas. Cuban owns pro basketball's Dallas Mavericks - but I'd rather hear Atlanta Hawks games on radio for free, than watch them in 3-D at Columbus Park Crossing.

+ The South beat the North 17-0, in the Georgia high school football all-star game at McClung Memorial Stadium. Someone asked me why this game was played on a Monday afternoon. I guessed it was done to stop the run of consecutive days with vandalized schools.

+ Alabama football coach Nick Saban suspended All-American offensive tackle Andre Smith from the Sugar Bowl. Smith broke some kind of team rule - and in New Orleans, I don't think that means Smith ate too much gumbo.

+ The Auburn men's basketball team annihilated Alabama A&M 82-40. This adds to a Tiger record which includes wins over Tuskegee and Alabama State. Maybe next season Chattahoochee Valley Community College will show some boldness, and get on the schedule.

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2008 IN REVIEW CON'D: We've come to November in our review of the past year. And we all know how historic November was. Has there ever been a time like it in Columbus history - when the incoming District Attorney made news simply by getting a haircut?

Gun sales seemed to jump in Columbus and nationwide, after Barack Obama was elected President. I'm starting to wonder if that it really was due to fears about weapons restrictions -- or if some group was organizing for a record-breaking December in Columbus.

(Something else seemed to increase in sales after the election, of course - the number of commercials making Senator Saxby Chambliss sound like the worst thing to hit Georgia since Michael Registe.)

As far as we know, former school principal Phyllis Jones made her only public comment about an ethics investigation to this blog during November. She denied doing anything wrong, involving Rigdon Road School finances. At least she's only accused at this point of keeping book fair money - not investing any in that Ponzi scheme.

While November lacked the surge of homicides December has seen, it had some unusual crimes. One man was arrested for breaking into 64 cars - and surprisingly, it was NOT a "repo man" from Bill Heard Chevrolet.

Then there was the scofflaw who tried to rob a Columbus restaurant in November, and was found with his legs bound in plastic wrap. Someone should mention this when the PBR bull riding tour comes to town in January. It could launch a completely new event - calf-roping for women, only without the rope.

It wouldn't be November without some big college football games. Troy blew a big lead, and lost to Louisiana State. Auburn never even scored, and lost to Alabama. Yet Coach Larry Blakeney is still in Troy - while Tommy Tuberville might wind up coaching Brett Favre and the New (Jersey) Jets.

Columbus unveiled a "Walk of Fame" for great local entertainers in November, in front of the Liberty Theatre. If Bear O'Brian would give away some plasma TV sets there, his turn could come by 2015.

This month of December has seen people make history as well. There's the new Phenix City Manager. There's the new owner of Legacy Chevrolet. There's Auburn University's new head football.... well, two out of three milestones isn't bad.

The year ends with Columbus Council having settled two unsettling matters - the Kenneth Walker killing and the Zach Allen case. But why do I have the feeling any campaign donations in the next few months from Mark Shelnutt will be returned?

SCHEDULED WEDNESDAY: We're making a special list.... but why are we stacking candy wrappers?....

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