6 FEB 09: How Low Can We Go?

It's yet another sign of a recession -and maybe other things. I drove up Second Avenue Thursday, and discovered the "Back to the Grind" coffee stand had closed. Ground under by Starbucks, I suppose....

Back to the Grind seemed to have a good location -- on the southbound side of Second Avenue, a little south of Manchester Expressway. It seemed perfect for people who work downtown, and need a cup of coffee on the way. Or do that many Columbus residents remain loyal to Dr. Pemberton, and only drink Coca-Cola?

Then during the evening news, WRBL reported Fat Boys Farmers Market has closed as well. That store on Veterans Parkway always seemed like a contradiction to me - because if you bought the fruits and vegetables they sold, you'd be less likely to become fat.

A late-night news check found even more sobering economic news. The Macon Telegraph will start printing its newspapers in Columbus, while laying off 58 production workers. So if the wrong edition winds up on your front lawn this weekend, don't blame the delivery guy - the problem could be at the press.

(On top of that, the McClatchy newspaper chain which owns the Ledger-Enquirer is freezing its pension plans. Richard Hyatt's career may come full-circle, and he'll need to return to hosting radio talk shows.)

And if that's not enough, Bruno's Supermarkets filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday. Bruno's operates FoodMax -- and the old FoodMax location on U.S. 280 in Phenix City remains empty, eight years after it closed. Someone should put a simple tombstone outside it, saying it was killed by Wal-Mart.

With local businesses closing and layoffs mounting, it was no surprise that the Columbus Trade Center was a busy place Thursday. Clear Channel Radio staged its annual job fair - two weeks after the chain went through national layoffs, including the dismissal of several local salespeople. Why the Georgia Department of Labor didn't order a sponsor change, I have no idea.

GPB Radio reported more than 2,500 people attended the Trade Center job fair. That number actually was down from last year - but if I recall correctly, Kia was hiring workers last year. If Kia can take in all the employees Cessna Aircraft cuts, at least the economy will keep moving. It'll simply roll along, instead of flying....

While the turnout was large, only about 55 employers had booths at Thursday's job fair. That's down from about 90 last year. But let's face it - who can compete with the Columbus Police Department, and its dozens of openings for officers?

The economy admittedly has looked bleak for several months - but after thinking it over, I've concluded things could be worse. You'll know things are REALLY bad when....

+ Columbus and Phenix City officials begin consolidation talks. Maybe then Streetscape on Broad Street will get finished.

+ Bludau's on Broadway adds a one-dollar value menu.

+ The local NAACP and Urban League chapters decide "One Columbus" also applies to them, so they merge.

+ Victory Drive nightclubs follow the example of Uptown Columbus, and offer "pole crawl" nights for one ticket price.

+ Georgia and Georgia Tech combine their football teams to cut costs.

+ The homeless people staying at Valley Rescue Mission announce plans for a union vote.

+ Chick-Fil-A opens its restaurants on Sundays, because it needs the money.

+ The Columbus Lions and Columbus Cottonmouths play each other, in a game combining football and hockey. Oh wait - they did that for charity several months ago.

-> Our poker night Thursday had a bizarre moment which seems unbelievable, but really happened. Read about it at our other blog, "On the Flop!" <--

SONG OF THE DAY: Someone commented at work the other day about the 30-minute infomercials which appear on some stations after the 12:00 noon news. One of them offered a collection of classic country music. Nowadays, of course, you can write a country song about that very thing....

Now a quick spin around other Thursday news:

+ State Senator Seth Harp took a step back from his controversial proposal to merge four Georgia state universities. He's joining Sen. Emanuel Jones in calling for a "study group" to examine the idea. In exchange, watch for Harp to buy his next car at Jones's Legacy Chevrolet.

+ Northside edged Columbus for the combined city high school swimming title. Carver fielded a swim team for the first time, and came in fifth. For the other teams, this sight must remind them of the movie "Cool Runnings."

+ Mobile native and Atlanta baseball legend Hank Aaron marked his 75^th birthday. For some reason, no one dared asked him to submit to a test for steroids.

+ Georgia lost in women's basketball to Tennessee 73-43, giving coach Pat Summit her 1,000^th career victory. Someday we may learn about secret tension involving Lady Vols basketball - you know, about "Rocky Top" having a Summit.

+ Instant Message to the Auburn women's basketball team: I'm glad you won Thursday night. And I don't mean to diminish your great season. But shouldn't a women's sports team have MALE dancers on the court during timeouts?

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