The Blog of Columbus, Georgia

Friday, January 12, 2007

12 JAN 07: TANKS FOR NOTHING?

Two big meetings in the Columbus area Thursday appeared different, but actually had some things in comment. Both involved top leaders with controversial ideas. Both had plenty of critics, accusing the leaders of making big mistakes. And both had "Forts" - although I think most people respect Fort Benning much more than Fort Mitchell.

Fort Benning was the focus of President Bush, during a five-hour visit Thursday. He tried to encourage Third Brigade soldiers for their upcoming mission in Iraq - but couldn't exactly come out and tell them directly they're going early, in March. That's the way to make the Sergeants do the dirty work.

A deployment schedule was posted on the Defense Department's web site, indicating the Third Brigade will be deployed in Iraq in March. But this may not be all bad. Soldiers can arrive just in time to celebrate the fourth anniversary of their invasion.

President Bush arrived at Fort Benning during the lunch hour, and he sat down to eat with soldiers in Freedom Hall. But then suddenly, the White House staff ordered TV cameras be turned off - because they don't want video shown of the President eating. Why not?! We already know there's a family history, against eating broccoli....

(But then again, remember when the President's father became ill at a state dinner in Japan? This may be a clever White House strategy against "The Daily Show" and David Letterman.)

The TV cameras came back on when President Bush spoke to the audience at Freedom Hall. Did you notice the man with glasses in a suit and tie, sitting with soldiers behind the President? It was Muscogee County Republican Party leader Rob Doll - as if Fort Benning soldiers are driving Nissan Sentras, instead of Humvees.

I'm told other noteworthy, non-military people from Columbus were at Fort Benning for lunch with the President:

+ Former Mayor Bob Poydasheff - making full use of his veterans' benefit.

+ Police Chief Ricky Boren - picking a curious time to recruit new officers.

+ Chamber of Commerce President Mike Gaymon - perhaps trying to encourage military spouses to get autographs of the President, then open collectors' shops.

The President focused in his speech on the upcoming buildup of U.S. military personnel in Iraq. He admitted events in 2006 did not turn out as he anticipated - and I don't think he was talking about the Congressional election there.

President Bush declared the military buildup he's ordering in Iraq is based on advice from top officers, instead of "focus groups." But couldn't a meeting of generals be called a focus group -- especially if they're all focused on saluting the Commander-in-Chief?

The President repeated a joke he made in Tuskegee last year, when he told the mayors of Columbus and Phenix City: "Fill the potholes." Only then he added, "I'm not suggesting there are any" - apparently because he doesn't want a repeat of Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford asking for federal highway money.

After lunch, the President watched a demonstration of Fort Benning's infantry in action. It included a jump by Silver Wings paratroopers -- graphically illustrating what's happened to Mr. Bush's popularity in the last year or so.

After a private meeting with the families of fallen soldiers, President Bush shook hands and posed for pictures with Fort Benning troops before flying back to Washington. Several soldiers noted it was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" -- specially since they're not likely to have $5,000 to donate for the privilege anytime soon.

About 35 protesters gathered outside the Fort Benning gates before President Bush arrived. Columbus Police told them to move, because they didn't have a permit to demonstrate. Catholic Priest Roy Bourgeois could make extra money, helping these picketers as a consultant.

The demonstrators actually had permission to picket at Fort Benning Road and Victory Drive, and that's what they did. Some of them carried signs declaring President Bush a liar - as if there are politicians in this country who are NOT?!?!

Someone pointed out to me the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition could only get 35 people together outside Fort Benning, while S.O.A. Watch draws protesters by the thousands. That's true - but Thursday's protesters only had three days, to organize after Mr. Bush's visit was announced. It's hard to criticize the President, when you have trouble getting off work.

The protesters apparently were not the only ones who were denied access to Fort Benning. I'm told a news crew from Atlanta's WSB-TV was barred from entering, because its satellite truck had an expired license plate. If the soldiers have to pass inspection, it's only fair that the journalists interviewing them do.

After Phenix City Mayor Jeff Hardin met the President at Fort Benning, he went back home for an evening meeting about combining water service with Fort Mitchell and Russell County. That meeting attracted about 100 people, most of them against it - which may show how much our area still supports its soldiers.

Did you see WRBL's coverage of the Phenix City public hearing? Who was the alleged genius who brought a bottle of Deer Park water to a meeting on the local water service -- and put it on the counter, where the City Council normally sits? There's political correctness, but then there's simple logical common sense.

Most of the people at Thursday night's hearing opposed a merger of Phenix City's water service with Russell County and Fort Mitchell. It's as if the critics think the Russell County water system is run by school teachers....

Some opponents of the water merger fear the result will be higher water bills. But Phenix City Mayor Jeff Hardin said that will NOT be the case, because the city will have millions of dollars to retire old debts. He'd better be right - or else the crowd at the meeting will retire their old mayor.

But Mayor Jeff Hardin admitted for the first time a water consolidation could cost some Phenix City Water Works employees their jobs. It's only fitting that the truth is coming one drip at a time, isn't it?

More public hearings are planned in the weeks ahead, and the Phenix City Council is unlikely to vote on a water consolidation before the spring. So there's plenty of time for creative protesters to make water balloons, paste the mayor's face on them, and stick needles in them outside City Hall.

Amidst all of this, some other news occurred Thursday as well:

+ Phenix City Police reported nearly every home in an unfinished new subdivision had its copper wiring stolen the other night. I'm starting to wonder if burglars will break into homes to steal jars of pennies, instead of electronic gear.

+ Muscogee County State Senator Seth Harp endorsed a bill allowing local votes on Sunday alcohol sales. Harp explained to lawmakers he's for the "separation of church and state" - so he must attend a church which only serves grape juice during communion.

+ The Columbus Civic Center floor was covered with dirt. A weekend of Pro Bull Riding begins tonight. The "monster trucks" appear next weekend. And sometime in between, Callaway Gardens should hold a flower show.

+ Instant Message to Bill Heard Chevrolet: About that "distressed merchandise sale" you're having - I think the cars would be a lot less distressed, if "Madman Dan" wasn't yelling around them so much.

COMING SOON: How e-mail will look 30 years from now.... yes, we have a preview of it....

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Thursday, January 11, 2007

11 JAN 07: ENTER STAGE LEFT?

Finally it makes sense! Now I understand why the annual report from Cascade Hills Church shows it hosts all sorts of Northside High School events. It's NOT really because 90 percent of the student body is Baptist....

I didn't realize until Wednesday that when Northside High School was built five years ago, one key part was left out. It doesn't have an auditorium -- which should shut up some of the Columbus South parents. You see, students in the other side of town actually are disadvantaged.

I picked up a Cascade Hills report a couple of years ago, which showed the church hosted several Northside High School activities. A dinner theatre was held there. National Honor Society members were inducted there. Even Northside's "Career Day" was held there - although I'm not sure if Cascade Hills would have been in trouble if it promoted a career in the ministry.

Those Northside High School events and others were moved to Cascade Hills Church because the school lacks an auditorium. Apparently the building plans didn't even include a stage in the gymnasium -- which is amazing, because the University of Georgia even remembered to put one in its gym.

The online "school profile" for Northside High shows it has 583 computers. It doesn't mention the lack of an auditorium - but you'd think the students taking special architecture courses could draw up plenty of potential blueprints.

An auditorium at Northside High School apparently cost too much five years ago. The Muscogee County School District is considering whether to build one now -- and it would cost an estimated six million dollars. Of course, the district could hire two new head football coaches with that money....

The use of Cascade Hills Church by Northside High does more than raise intriguing church-state questions. It indicates an obvious effort to avoid Brookstone School, which is even closer to Northside. Don't Brookstone parents pay property taxes, which fund public education? Renting Brookstone facilities would be like the economic circle of life.

The Muscogee County School Board is looking at other potential construction projects. One involves renovating the old Baker Middle School. That would cost only about $200,000 - so maybe the southside parents can gripe after all, about work being done on the cheap.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Two Wednesday items inspired a reader to comment:

To the person who said you were writing too much about the local news lady leaving..Well,it is your blog..I think you can write what you want....

Perhaps the Ga legislator who wants an investigation of the Augusta facility should look into our landfill problem..Some one needs to be accountable,even if is the businesses who knew they owed the money..We know nothing is going to be done to the people or person with the local gov't..Is not shredding gov't papers a criminal offense?..If I committ a criminal offense while on the job and I change jobs or retire am I not going to be prosecuted? I think it should at the bottom and move up the chain of command..If it happened under your watch you are responsible..

Now hold on here! How do we "know" nothing is going to be done to city employees over "landfill-gate?" The District Attorney may have learned something from the Kenneth Walker case -- and maybe this time, he won't leave it in the hands of somebody from Albany.

I'm not really sure if shredding government documents is a "criminal offense" or not. If the Government Center has paper shredders, they must be there for a reason -- and it can't be for handling the City Manager's hate mail.

Investigations such as the landfill fee-asco tend to go as the e-mailer suggests. They start at the bottom, then move up the chain of command - and sooner or later, only the big fish is left without a plea bargain.

(Some people in this country are naive about this, and think the top-level officials should be prosecuted first. But enough about the talk of impeaching President Bush....)

Now for other whispers from a wintry Wednesday:

+ The Associated Press reported Third Brigade soldiers from Fort Benning will be sent to Iraq sooner than planned. This may not be a bad thing. They'll go to Baghdad early - and once Democrats start showing their clout in Congress, they'll be pulled out and decommissioned early.

+ City Planning Director Rick Jones announced a public-private agreement to build an access road through the Bunker Hill neighborhood, connecting St. Mary's Road to Old Cusseta Road. Apparently Northstar Drive north to Steam Mill Road isn't a good enough escape route - and residents haven't figured out how to get through the winding roads they have already.

+ Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue presented his "State of the State" address. One of his goals for this year is a tourism program called "Go Fish Georgia." That's the way to stay ahead of the trend! Gin rummy must be the next poker....

(Governor Perdue told lawmakers if Georgia was an independent country, it would have the 17^th-largest economy in the world. And with oil imports increasing the "national" trade deficit, the poverty rate might be even higher.)

+ Alabama House Republican leader Mike Hubbard of Auburn complained he's been removed from a state budget committee for political reasons. He ought to be thankful - because now he can devote all his time to Republican news releases and planning inaugurations.

+ Instant Message to Freeway Auto Credit on Manchester Expressway: Are things really THAT bad? When you put a six-line disclaimer about Freeway Ford below your main sign, that seems pretty bad....

SCHEDULED FRIDAY: We'll watch two big events.... one at Fort Benning, the other in Phenix City....

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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

10 JAN 07: OPEN MIKE DAY

Mike Gaymon must have declared Tuesday his "day of living dangerously." He made some curious comments on radio. He tried a new idea in Columbus business meetings. And in the evening, he may have done something really daring - and driven from Columbus to Phenix City.

Mike Gaymon is the President of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce - and he's also the host of the weekly WDAK radio talk show "Viewpoint." Tuesday was talk show day, and he began the program with a very strange reference to a Georgia murder case. It was almost like Gaymon had a "Rush Limbaugh moment...."

Mike Gaymon told the WDAK "Morning Show" team he'd found a new use for antifreeze -- then brought up a woman accused of poisoning her husband with the stuff. It seemed like he was trying to joke about the case. But the way he dropped the topic, it seemed like his co-hosts were nodding their heads "NO" vigorously.

If this wasn't strange enough, Mike Gaymon made this comment while St. Luke United Methodist Church Pastor Hal Brady was in the studio! Brady was the guest of the morning on "Viewpoint." If Gaymon had a guest from Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, I might understand what he said....

Pastor Hal Brady was a different sort of guest for "Viewpoint," because Mike Gaymon usually interviews politicians or business leaders. In fact, I tuned in Tuesday simply to see if Gaymon might have Bob Poydasheff on again - for his exclusive first interview as an ex-mayor.

During his chat with Hal Brady, Mike Gaymon revealed he's a "P.K." This must have puzzled most WDAK listeners for a moment - who thought the initials meant place-kicker, instead of "preacher's kid."

After Viewpoint was over, Mike Gaymon went to the RiverCenter. He presided over the "annual meeting" of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber actually has meetings and events all year long - but I think this is the one where everyone officially approves him by acclamation.

For decades, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce has held its annual meeting in the evening with a nice banquet. This year, the meeting was moved to Bill Heard Hall at the RiverCenter -- where you can't even take a cup of water inside, to throw at a snobby opera diva.

The Chamber of Commerce annual meeting was moved from the Trade Center to the RiverCenter to make it more accessible to members. An evening banquet would have cost about 60 dollars. Mike Gaymon said the meeting in a theater was free, so there you.... hey, hold it! If small business members have to close doors to attend the meeting, isn't it costing them money in lost sales?

Mike Gaymon explained it's better for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce to conduct meetings more like corporate stockholder meetings. Of course it is - because people who vote "no" are more easily seen, when they're not hiding at a round table behind a big vase full of flowers.

Some traditions have not changed for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The annual "Jim Woodruff Jr. Award" was given to retired Synovus chairman Jim Blanchard. You have to say he was a visionary - because the Synovus sign remains the most visible advertisement along the Riverwalk.

BLOG UPDATE: Tuesday also was a big day for Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington, as he presided over his first Columbus Council meeting. Wetherington admitted to WRBL he forgot a few times to push buttons which turn on microphones. Wait until he realizes that's one of the biggest areas of power he really has.

Columbus Council gave Evelyn Turner Pugh the title of Mayor Pro-Tem. Jim Wetherington called Pugh the "most knowledgeable member" of the Council. Yet with her background in banking, she somehow didn't realize something didn't add up at the landfill?!

"Landfill-gate" was a big issue again Tuesday. Councilors suggested new rules, to put late fees on companies more than 60 days behind in paying landfill fees. The Mayor and City Manager wanted to allow 90 to 120 days of grace -- but the Council apparently wants to show it's tougher than the ex-Police Chief.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley said he'll reveal next week which companies are more than 60 days behind in paying landfill fees. Reporters might be able to find out sooner than that. Stop everyone entering the Government Center wearing sunglasses - because they might be trying to hide their identities, as they pay up.

E-MAIL UPDATE: A "POP3 User" (we usually only drink one at a time) sent us this Tuesday:

This is the 1st time I've been to the Columbus blog, its very good I will be back , but to much info on Jade Hindman, letys do more info on the hard poor working stiffs in the Chattahoochee Valley who don't make the Big money

Thank you for the nice words, and the constructive criticism. If any poor working stiffs want to invite me to their farewell parties, I'll be glad to come by and share in your saltine crackers and Hawaiian Punch.

You might even find some hard poor working stiffs embedded in our wrap-up of other Tuesday news:

+ Chattahoochee County commissioners confirmed to WXTX "News at Ten" they've dropped plans to establish a police department. Uh-huh. Yeah, right. That's what they say now -- before the meth dealers show up, and the undercover operation begins.

+ The Ledger-Enquirer updated the "Stocking Strangler" murder appeal with the big headline: "HEARING ON GARY'S TEETH." I saw this, and wondered which local dentist was being sued.

+ The evening news interviewed a "graduation coach" at Jordan High School - a woman named Jimmie Johnson. You'd think all she has to do is borrow quotes from that OTHER coach Jimmy Johnson. He won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys, after all....

+ Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue called for higher fines for excessive and habitual speeders. The Governor confessed he's a speeder himself - perhaps hurrying to as many land sale closings as he can.

(Governor Perdue said he wants the money from higher speeding fines allocated to trauma centers. Huh - you mean the state won't offer grant money to improve Atlanta Motor Speedway?)

+ The Columbus Cottonmouths crushed Jacksonville on the road 7-2, with assistant Tyler Keller coaching behind the bench. Head coach Jerome Bechard was somewhere else in the Jacksonville Coliseum -- either taking notes for future games, or hiding from an arrest warrant on an old battery charge.

+ New Alabama football coach Nick Saban was introduced to the crowd at a Tuscaloosa basketball game - and the Crimson Tide went on to beat his old school Louisiana State, 71-61. As much money as they're paying Saban, he should inspire as many teams to victory as he can.

(I figured an important matchup in this game would be between Alabama's Alonzo Gee and L.S.U.'s Tack Minor. Any musician would tell you there's nothing quite like a Gee-Minor key.)

+ A Georgia House member called for an audit of the state's Golf Hall of Fame in Augusta, claiming $13 million in state money is missing. Step one: drag the lakes. Step two: rake the sand traps....

+ Instant Message to the man I saw pedaling a bicycle down the middle of South Lumpkin Road, in the center turn lane: There's an old Archie Campbell joke along those lines - only the children in his neighborhood thought he actually might be dumb enough to do that.

This blog had more than 28,000 visits in 2006, from people in Columbus and around the world. To advertise to them, make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

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Tuesday, January 09, 2007

9 JAN 07: RUNDOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE?

If you missed our appearance on WLTZ's "Rise N Shine" Monday morning, we talked about several things. One caller tried to complain to me about a newspaper delivery man driving by at 5:00 a.m. playing loud rap music. Hey, look on the bright side - you might not need an alarm clock anymore.

The hottest topic on Rise N Shine was something I never expected - a few secluded blocks along the Chattahoochee River. People in the Bibb City neighborhood don't want to claim them. Other people say something should be done about them. And if the blocks were in Phenix City, officials probably would have bought them out by now for high-rise condos.

You'll find this area by taking a drive down First Avenue to either Riverside Drive or 27^th Street, then turning toward the Chattahoochee. I made this drive Monday, after hearing callers talk about it - and I promise, you won't slide into the river if your brakes fail.

(The current map in the BellSouth Yellow Pages shows a "McLihenney Elementary School" not far from this area. Maybe AT&T needs to bring in that new way of doing business....)

A caller to Rise N Shine said she took visitors to Riverside Drive recently to show off the Riverwalk, and was appalled by the houses she saw there. She wondered how anyone possibly could live under those conditions. I concluded more Columbus residents live that way than she realizes -- and people need to leave Green Island Hills more often.

Even before you turn off First Avenue, there's a house which clearly has seen better days. Perhaps this is one of the places described by callers as a makeshift shelter for homeless people. It certainly looks like the pile of junk in the backyard has been mined by every antique mall in town.

I turned west at Riverside Drive, and was greeted to my right by a "BAD DOG" sign. I didn't take a picture of the big dog standing on the other side of the fence -- because it might accuse me of drive-by shooting.

Instead, I snapped a picture of homes on the left side of Riverside Drive - houses presumably with a back porch overlooking the river. They looked old to me, but NOT necessarily rundown eyesores. Maybe the residents don't want visitors to think about how valuable their properties really are.

We exited Riverside Drive by driving up 27^th Street. The houses appear old and small, but tight spacing should be expected in an older neighborhood such as that. Many cities have streets which look like that - and actually might be considered "historic district" material. Those law offices and art galleries on Broadway simply are spoiled.

(There actually was a rental car parked along 27^th Street, outside one of the houses. And it didn't look like it was rented by some land developer from metro Atlanta - since a paper tag clearly was visible, inviting thieves.)

The initial caller to Rise N Shine wondered what could be done to clean up this neighborhood. Then someone else called to report Columbus city government is NOT allowing new permits in that part of town. So at least the Baker Village residents aren't likely to move there....

I suppose the owners of the homes around Riverside Drive could be reported to Environmental Court. But from what I saw Monday, not many of the old houses really looked dilapidated. I wouldn't be afraid to live there - as long as that "bad dog" was keeping all the criminals out.

E-MAIL UPDATE: We apparently need to clarify one of our notes from Sunday....

Are you serious? The Veterans Parkway Winn Dixie is closing? Oh no..my favorite store on that side of town..

No no no! I did NOT say that supermarket definitely is closing. The line about "guessing the date" when it will close was the punch line. Perhaps packing too much of a punch, in this case....

My point was that the opening of a Sam's Club and a Wal-Mart SuperCenter near Columbus Park Crossing over the next two weeks is supposed to kill all the businesses around it. At least, that's what some critics in Midland say - which makes you wonder why Kohl's even bothered to open a store.

But consider what's happened in Phenix City in recent years. A Winn-Dixie, a FoodMax and a Save-a-Lot all closed on the 280 Bypass once a Wal-Mart SuperCenter opened. Two of those storefronts remain empty - and the Phenix City Police are making sure the former Club Roc doesn't sell beer and wine, even on Sunday afternoons.

So while we watch for the "quitting business" signs to be trucked over from Parisian, let's check other musings from a busy Monday:

+ White House officials announced President Bush will visit Fort Benning Thursday, hours after his big televised speech on Iraq. If a fleet of cargo jets arrives during the day Wednesday, I guess we'll know which direction he's taking....

(Mayor Jim Wetherington told WRBL he has NOT been invited yet to the President's speech at Fort Benning. In fact, he had to give the White House staff his Social Security number for screening! And you STILL think the mayoral race was non-partisan?)

+ In a pre-emptive strike, Katie Couric brought the CBS Evening News to Fort Stewart. Couric seemed surprised when Third Infantry Division Commander Rick Lynch said his soldiers will use the best equipment available. What did she expect - shotguns bought from an Army-Navy Surplus Store?

+ Falcon's Tattoos owner Fred Sibary told the evening news he had to move his shop to Veterans Parkway, because Columbus city zoning no longer allows new tattoo parlors on Broadway. Why was this change made? Tattoo needles are a great crime prevention tool....

+ Students spent their first day at the new downtown "Riverpark" campus of Columbus State University. One student said she felt like she was in Chicago or Boston, not Columbus. So when is C.S.U. starting an ice hockey team?

+ Sonny Perdue was sworn in for a second term as Georgia's Governor. He said he had a "2020 vision" for the state's future, with smaller classes in schools and college students receiving the HOPE Scholarship - at colleges where they may mass together in larger classes, then party non-stop all weekend.

(Governor Perdue made a point of taking the oath of office on a Bible opened to Joshua 24:15. Some Republicans may have longed for him to quote verse 20 - which says if you serve strange gods, the Lord will "do you hurt and consume you.")

+ In perhaps the most stunning note of the new Georgia legislative session, Gerald Bryant announced he's retiring from GPB's "Lawmakers" for health reasons. Bryant anchored the program 22 years - long enough to see Zell Miller zig and zag an estimated 50 times.

+ Aides to Alabama Congressman Artur Davis said he will NOT challenge Jeff Sessions for the U.S. Senate next year. Instead, Davis plans to run for statewide office in 2010 - once more people can figure out who he is.

+ Bobby Petrino was introduced as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This move from the University of Louisville has several advantages. For one thing, Auburn trustee Bobby Lowder won't have to fly for Petrino's next job interview.

(Bobby Petrino will earn about $4.8 million a year as the Falcons' head coach. I think he should celebrate by going to a top-dollar restaurant, and give Nick Saban a thank-you dinner.)

+ Meanwhile, Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey admitted he's been interviewed for the top job with the N.F.L. Miami Dolphins. This is getting confusing! Where is Jim Mora Jr. going to coach -- Georgia Tech or Louisville?

+ Instant Message to Florida head football coach Urban Meyer: Who called to congratulate you first? President Bush, to continue a tradition -- or Tommy Tuberville, for proving his point?

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Monday, January 08, 2007

8 JAN 07: McVAY IN THE WAY

Sunday marked a first for me -- as I bought a copy of the Phenix Citizen-News. I did this because the Columbus Public Library still had the prior week's edition on display. That's my custom, you know -- drive a little, save 50 cents.

I had to buy the latest Phenix Citizen-News, because of a recent e-mail:

Richard:

Don't know if you noticed - but the Phenix Citizen just headlined what I've been talking about! This is just the tip of the iceberg. Believe me, there's a lot more to come.

Just like kiss - the first one is the hardest to get!

Constable R.J. Schweiger

Oh dear - the Constable's trying to clean up part of Russell County, and he has to bring up my single status....

Indeed, the top story in the Phenix Citizen-News deals with Constable Bob Schweiger's biggest concern. A Hurtsboro City Council member has been found in violation of Alabama ethics laws. The decision was made a month ago in Montgomery -- but sometimes things can get lost in the mail, during the holiday rush.

Hurtsboro City Council member Mae Dell McVay was found in violation of ethics laws, because surplus city vehicles were sold to her husband and her son last year for $100 per car. Only 100 dollars?! If I had known this, I might have bumper-pushed a car 28 miles back home myself.

The 100-dollar deal was approved by the Hurtsboro City Council after it turned down an offer of 300 dollars a car several months before. Let's hope the council members are NOT submitted by their relatives for "Deal or No Deal."

Russell County prosecutors apparently decided the 100-dollar sale to Mae Dell McVay's family was OK - but McVay had a conflict of interest, and should not have voted to approve it. Hurtsboro is in serious trouble, if adults aren't abstaining like they used to.

The matter of Mae Dell McVay now will go to a Russell County grand jury -- but a prosecutor told the Phenix Citizen-News that won't happen until April. Who knows what could happen by then? The surplus vehicles might break down for good, and the case will be moot.

The Phenix Citizen-News article did NOT say who brought the complaint against Mae Dell McVay. Constable Bob Schweiger's e-mail doesn't say if he did it, or someone else did. But one thing is clear - the Hurtsboro complainer might want to give Paul Olson in Columbus some pointers.

You may recall Constable Bob Schweiger sent another e-mail last week, naming two alleged "criminals" on the Hurtsboro City Council [4 Jan]. Mae Dell McVay was NOT one of them - so now I'm wondering if the "armed gang" in this town of around 600 people might be holding elected office.

We were planning to call these alleged Hurtsboro criminals Sunday night for a comment, before naming them here -- but then Calvin Floyd called from NBC-38, inviting us to return to "Rise N Shine" Monday morning. That meant an early bedtime, since this blogger needs all the "beauty sleep" he can get. Besides, I missed the station makeup artist in November.

So before we hit the proverbial hay, here's a quick check at other news from the weekend:

+ A strong line of thunderstorms moved through the Columbus area, leading to several tornado warnings north of the city. If we're having spring storms in January, does this mean I can put my snow shovel back in the closet for another year?

+ A "wedding extravaganza" was staged at the Columbus Trade Center, showing off all kinds of ideas for prospective brides and grooms. If I had known this was coming, I might have rented a booth - and made a giant "pick me" sign.

+ Cascade Hills Church held the first weekend of what it calls 35 new "real life" Bible study groups. They have 35 of them?! Some congregations I know do well to have two - children and adults.

+ Callaway Gardens announced it will start offering discounted entry fees to hybrid vehicles. If they're going to do this, the gardens should avoid any trace of hypocrisy -- and reveal how many of its flowers and plants are hybrids.

+ ESPN Radio reported the Atlanta Falcons are "very close" to naming a new head coach. If they can find a coach in one week while the University of Alabama takes more than five, the standard must be a lot lower.

+ Instant Message to the Chattahoochee Valley Community College library: Before the spring semester starts, could you please find time to update the "hours" section of your web site? It's not 2003 anymore....

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Sunday, January 07, 2007

7 JAN 07: JADE, GREENS AND GREENVILLE

Instant Message to the Talbot County Commission: The coast is clear now. You can go back to your usual ways of governing. The TV reporter who kept you honest for a couple of years has left the area.

Jade Hindmon is the second TV reporter in two weeks to leave Columbus. Friends and co-workers held a farewell party for her this weekend at the Meritage Café complex - and with a couple of different businesses open at different times of day, it certainly CAN be complex.

We'll get back to the Meritage, but we start with the party. Jade Hindmon is moving to a Fox station in Greenville, South Carolina. She told friends at the party it's about a four-hour drive from Columbus to Greenville. I've made this drive, so her comment told me two things - she speeds, and she's never been caught in an Atlanta traffic jam.

It's not unusual for Columbus TV reporters to move to Greenville, South Carolina. Staci Walker went to a Greenville station around 2000. And Katie Crecente left WRBL in the late 1990's for a public relations job in Greenville. I remember her well because she was amazingly pretty - and she illustrated a hurricane one evening at a "weather wall" wearing a raincoat and hat. [True!]

Jade Hindmon especially will be remembered for all the problems she exposed in Talbot County. The worst probably was the rundown recreation center, complete with what one county commissioner called on-camera "ugly poo-poo pots." [16 Jul 06] Some politicians talk more "down and dirty" than you might think....

Whatever happened to that Talbot County recreation center, which was locked up for renovations for months? Jade Hindmon told me it's now open again, but county commissioners won't let her see the improvements. I'm guessing we might see them on television days before the 2008 primary.

The farewell for Jade Hindmon marked our first trip to the "Meritage" area on 13^th Street since Miriam (now Eve) Tidwell sold it a few years ago. The "café and gallery" was closed, as it's only open for breakfast and lunch. For such a nice-looking place to keep the hours of a Myrtle Beach waffle shop puzzles me....

(Please note we're not calling the Meritage Café and Gallery a "restaurant." Ms. Tidwell wrote an e-mail to us a few years ago objecting to such a label, even though Miriam's was listed under "restaurants" in the Yellow Pages. Meritage isn't listed there now -- and it's not listed under "art galleries," either.)

So the Jade Hindmon farewell event occurred next door, at "Tapatinis at Meritage Café." I can't really call that a restaurant, either. When the menu lists one page of food options and more than one page of martinis, I don't consider that a restaurant.

Besides, someone at the event commented the "wine list" at Tapatinis is more "like a journal." It covered several pages - and while I didn't look at it, it seemed to have more choices than Bill Heard's used car lot.

But I had shown up at this event for dinner, so I reviewed the Tapatinis food list. It's on the elegant side -- not only from the items listed, but by the fact that it has no dollar signs on the prices.

The best choice for me seemed to be honey barbecued Atlantic salmon. It came with "twice-baked potato salad" - which was new to me, because most people I know don't even bake the potato salad at picnics once.

But the other item with the salmon really puzzled me. "What are hericot verts?" I asked the server.

"They're like greens," she answered. Ohhhh. The only "vert" I knew until then was vertical - as in the stairs I climbed from the Tapatinis lobby to the top floor with the party.

It took several minutes for my dinner to be prepared, so I sipped on a diet cola. I didn't drink wine or a martini, because I didn't want my camera photos to be blurry -- or at least my view of them.

(The diet cola was served without a napkin, which made things a bit awkward in terms of liquid on our small round table. Another person in the party longed for a straw with her drink - but she said once she started sipping from the glass, there was no turning back.)

At last the salmon came -- on a small rectangular plate, with about as much open space as food. Truly this business lived up to its name -- only I'd spell it Tapa-Teenie, as in Weenee.

The salmon was not a full filet, but what appeared to be a center cut. It was tender, and slightly bitter without the barbecue sauce on top. The salmon practically hid the twice-baked potato salad below it - which didn't taste out of the ordinary for potato salad, but seemed scarcely made from two "new potatoes."

As for the hericot verts, a person sitting near me summed up the appearance of it: "Green beans." Actually, something with a smaller diameter and no bean at all. They were firm, but not crunchy -- and it didn't make me jump vertically at all.

(I checked a dictionary as I prepared this entry, and it defines a vert as "green growth from a forest." At least it wasn't shaped like poison ivy.)

The salmon dinner cost me eight dollars -- and in this day of extra-large portions, it was eight-dollar sized. This was not a Ruby Tuesday-sized fish. But it was perfect for people with resolutions to lose weight in 2007.

But something curious struck me as I finished dinner -- as the rectangular plate was wobbly. It didn't sit flat on the table, acting a bit like an old school desk or folding chair. The "catch of the day" didn't squirm around like that.

People around me eventually ordered other Tapatinis dishes. One woman praised the "she-crab soup." But I left without thinking to ask for the gender of my salmon.

Appearance is everything when it comes to the dishes at Tapatinis. One person ordered a chicken dish, which came with whipped potatoes swirling to a peak like an ice cream dessert. It's like the style of "The Daily Show," as opposed to the substance of a C-SPAN.

We wished Jade Hindmon well, as she heads for South Carolina. And we wished Tapatinis had a dessert menu, to provide a "nightcap" after a relatively modest dinner. In a first, the nightcap did NOT come in the form of candy at a convenience store - but a double cheeseburger from the McDonald's dollar menu.

(Which reminds me -- the McDonald's in North Phenix City actually posted a sign on its door, warning prices would go up Saturday. I've never seen a McDonald's do that before. And I wish gas stations would do that a lot more often.)

Now that we've had possibly our first combination celebrity report/restaurant review, let's check other items from the weekend:

+ The Saturday high temperature in Columbus was 72 degrees F. - and an evening run found someone using a laptop computer on the Chattahoochee Promenade, above the river. I've seen people have weddings on the promenade, but never someone trying online dating there.

+ The Ledger-Enquirer reported the new Sam's Club near Columbus Park Crossing will open January 18. Then a Wal-Mart SuperCenter nearby will open January 23. You'll have to guess the date when the Winn-Dixie on Veterans Parkway will close.

+ Columbus Police announced they seized thousands of dollars in counterfeit name-brand merchandise from "Wow Fashions" on Buena Vista Road. The owner of the store is wanted for questioning - so he or she could be a "Wow Weasel."

+ Phenix City Councilman John Storey told a competing blog a merger of water systems with Fort Mitchell and Russell County could mean higher water rates. But he said the rates would go up more without a merger, because fewer customers would have to pay for higher production costs. So in his view, three headwaters are better than one....

+ The Royal Lippizaner Stallions performed at the Columbus Civic Center. I wasn't able to attend this - so did the spectators wear different fancy hats, or keep the same ones from the Steeplechase?

+ The Columbus Cottonmouths retired the jersey of goaltender Frankie Ouellette. I never understood why he didn't play major league hockey for the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Mighty Ducks - so he could tell his friends, "Frankie Goes to Hollywood."

+ Glenwood School's basketball teams both stayed unbeaten, by sweeping Northside Methodist. Northside WHO?!?! This is a bit like Florida State becoming "bowl eligible" in November by beating Western Michigan.

+ Former Atlanta Falcons coach Jim Mora was a guest studio analyst on NBC's football playoff coverage. Mora claimed his notorious phone call to a Seattle radio station "never came up" in his final meeting with Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Of course not - it was the next-to-last-straw, before those last two losses in December.

SCHEDULED MONDAY: An update on the Hurtsboro hubbub....

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Friday, January 05, 2007

for 6 Jan 07: COLD, HARD, LITTLE CASH

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: You may find this item humorous, serious, or a little of both - but we offer these thoughts from time to time, as we keep a seventh-day Sabbath.)

It's been on the warm side in Columbus this week, but I've been remembering a much colder winter. It happened 25 years ago this month -- at a time when people were more concerned about nuclear winters than global warming.

Sports fans may remember how cold it was in January 1982. Cincinnati won the A.F.C. Championship at home, beating San Diego in below-zero weather. The weather may have changed - but the shock of Cincinnati playing in a Super Bowl still hasn't.

I lived in my home town of Kansas City in January 1982, and things looked grim. I was part of a two-man radio news team which was fired four months before, when the station changed formats to "The Music of Your Life." Their life, maybe - but it denied me a livelihood.

On top of that, Kansas City had big snowstorms and below-freezing weather -- while I drove a used Karmann-Ghia sports car which only had working heat emanating from the engine. It blew hot in July, and didn't blow nearly enough in early January.

I made a one-hour commute from Kansas City to Lawrence, Kansas for part-time work at a radio reading service for the blind. That provided a little income, to go with unemployment checks. But it wasn't a lot - and for a few days, I resorted to delivering Yellow Pages door-to-door for money. As long as no dogs were inside fences in the yard, that was OK....

But as I searched for full-time broadcasting work, I had a dictionary definition of a "lemon" car. The Amoco Motor Club couldn't believe how many times I called them for jump-start assistance while I was unemployed. And when you have to plug something into the engine like a computer USB to make it start, that's not a good sign.

One day in Lawrence, the car simply died -- and after I was towed to a repair shop, the repair crew gave me devastating news. My used Karmann-Ghia needed an engine overhaul. The cost: $1,000 -- more than my monthly pay at the Kansas City radio station which laid me off. I traded money for a nice line on the resume, but nice-looking resumes don't fix cars.

(If there were stores such as "Check Into Cash" in Kansas City back then, I knew nothing about them. All I knew were the rules to Monopoly and Milton Bradley's "Game of Life" - and if you went bankrupt, the game effectively was over.)

What would you have done at a moment like that? I obtained an "Ugly Duckling" rent-a-car for a few days, while the engine was overhauled -- and when I returned home to Kansas City on a Friday evening, I fell to my knees. I surrendered. I decided God had taken my job away from me, then taken my car away from me -- and with my bank account dwindling, the apartment would have been the third strike.

While I worked at the radio station in Kansas City, I started taking "short cuts" from what the Bible tells me to do. I stopped going to church. I worked or played on God's "holy day." And while I wasn't swearing, I still used language God doesn't like - such as what old-timers used to do to socks with holes in them.

After I fell on my knees and surrendered to God, amazing things began to happen. The car engine kept working for months - well, after it died a second time, and I demanded the Lawrence repair shop fix whatever it missed. The staff actually did it for free -- as I said, amazing things.

And a couple of weeks after I surrendered, I was offered a new radio job. I moved to Enid, Oklahoma, which back then had a population of about 50,000 -- and actually was paid more than the Kansas City station did. My supervisor couldn't believe radio executives in a big city could be such cheapskates.

This 25^th anniversary of the surrender would have blown right by me, but for a radio preacher I heard this week. He talked about how God sometimes allows us to go through very low moments to get our attention. In my case, it worked -- and I've striven to stay close to God since then. While I make no guarantees about the benefits, my 13-year-old Honda IS still running.

If you're at a low or difficult point in life, maybe you should do what I did. Maybe it's time to surrender. You don't need a white flag, and you don't have to sign a document aboard a battleship. Simply pray to God for help, and turn from the things that have you at a distance from Him. Go ahead and give it up - the 1982 kind of "give it up," as opposed to applauding.

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5 JAN 07: WATER WORKED UP

Phenix City's Mayor denied Thursday there's a secret deal to merge three East Alabama water departments. Of course it's not secret - because people reportedly have been calling talk shows to complain about it.

But Mayor Jeff Hardin admitted talks have been underway, to combine the Phenix City Water Works with Russell County's and Fort Mitchell's systems. Isn't this amazing? First Phenix City allows Sunday alcohol sales - and now it may openly endorse mixed drinks.

The Phenix City Mayor says combining the city's water works with Russell County and Fort Mitchell would bring the city $22 million. Half the money would pay off old debts on the city water treatment plant. And imagine how many nightclubs could be patrolled with that other 11 million.

While the combining of water systems would bring in millions of dollars, Phenix City would have only one-third control of a combined water board. That's a sore point for some Phenix City residents - who apparently are concerned people in a Fort Mitchell mobile home park might attempt a coup.

Some people in Phenix City have long and painful memories of their water department. They remember several years ago, when a five-million dollar deal was made with Columbus Water Works. To hear some of them talk, Phenix City might as well have been renamed "West Columbus" right then and there.

I've seen one letter from an upset Phenix City resident, who claims the proposed combining of water departments is a "sale to an authority." The Mayor says the city would keep one-third control - but I suppose two-thirds of a sale constitutes a majority.

The letter from Milo Jenkins complains money from 1998 water improvement bonds was used to provide utilities to "PRIVATELY owned subdivisions." So should Phenix City only provide water to public housing complexes -- with the rest of the residents buying 12-packs of Dasani?

Milo Jenkins seems sure the formation of a joint water authority in the Phenix City area will mean higher water bills, and even higher taxes. I'm not sure if that's necessarily so. Bulk buying power seems to keep prices low at Wal-Mart....

But Phenix City Mayor Jeff Hardin said Thursday the impact on customer bills of a water authority is "under evaluation." At least he's saying that now. I don't recall that being said, when the city garbage contract was changed a few weeks ago.

A showdown on this issue probably will come next Thursday, when Phenix City holds a public hearing on the proposed consolidation. If Milo Jenkins is successful in making citizens angry, the turnout will be only fitting. A water controversy could attract an overflow crowd.

BLOG UPDATE: The second big inauguration of the week occurred Thursday, this time in Alabama. Unlike Tuesday's event at the Government Center, this one attracted extended live TV coverage - so take that, Mayor Wetherington! Nick Saban is the REAL man in charge around here....

Nick Saban held his first news conference as University of Alabama football coach, and declared his heart is in college coaching. But then again, he's bounced in the last ten years from Michigan State to Louisiana State to the Miami Dolphins - so maybe it's time Saban tied down his heart with bungee cords.

Nick Saban told reporters in Tuscaloosa he wants to have a "big, physical, aggressive football team." He could have stayed in the N.F.L. for that - coaching a Cincinnati Bengals team which had eight players arrested this season.

Nick Saban says to be successful at Alabama, he'll "need a lot of positive energy." There you go, Red Bull - your invitation to be the Crimson Tide's official drink.

Nick Saban claimed he'd need to evaluate candidates for a coaching staff. Yet only four hours after his news conference, Kevin Steele of Florida State reportedly was hired as Alabama's defensive coordinator. For a guy who said he didn't want the job last week, he may have missed his calling to be an evangelist.

ESPN Radio raised a couple of good points Thursday about the hiring of Nick Saban. For one thing, isn't he doing to the Miami Dolphins the same thing Dennis Franchione did when he fled Alabama for Texas A&M? The only difference is that Franchione lied to the Columbus Quarterback Club about being sick -- while Saban lied to an entire city.

(ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd actually called him "Snake Saban." Someone should tell the new coach about "12's Steakhouse" - run by the original Snake, Ken Stabler.)

For another thing, couldn't Nick Saban have another change of heart in a few years and leave Alabama? If he can't beat Jim Mora on the N.F.L. field, he might try to beat him out for the head coaching job at the University of Washington.

BIG PREDICTION: CBS will make Louisiana State-Alabama its national TV game on November 3. It'll be Nick Saban's old school against his new one - and the winner should be given first choice of the top high school players across Mississippi.

With the next Alabama-Auburn game only 46 weeks away, we take a break from the hype to consider other Thursday news:

+ The evening news showed off a new high school building at Brookstone School. It has one computer for every two students, state-of-the-art maps for
illustrating history -- and don't forget the most important thing. It was built with NO one-cent sales tax.

+ Columbus resident James Waggoner gave his 300^th blood donation to the American Red Cross. Do the math on that, and you'll find he's given more than 35 gallons of blood. I think that almost matches what they use in a full season of "C.S.I."

+ Singer Ruben Studdard announced the start of a "Scale Back Alabama" weight loss program. Studdard says he's lost 100 pounds since last summer - which means he's only 105 pounds away from matching that number he used to wear on "American Idol."

+ WRBL's 11:00 p.m. news included a Mega Millions lottery drawing. Trouble was, the drawing occurred Tuesday night - and we already know nobody matched all the numbers. Did someone ask for a rerun, to plot some kind of strategy for tonight?

+ Columbus State University split a basketball doubleheader at Augusta State. The men lost 81-75, as C.S.U. coach Doug Branson picked up his first-ever technical foul -- but he failed in his attempt to take home the referee's whistle, as a memento.

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Thursday, January 04, 2007

4 JAN 07: LISTING FORWARD

It may have taken years for Columbus to have one freestanding Starbucks, but the city is not far behind the curve in another hip west-coast development. We found out Wednesday there's now a Columbus area for a trendy web site -- and thankfully, it's not as silly as some of the guys pointing cameras at themselves on YouTube.

Columbus and Auburn now have their own versions of "craigslist." It's a web site much like a classified section of the newspaper. People buy and sell items, post jobs and personals - and in the great tradition of the Internet, there's a link to warnings about fraud.

A couple of other warnings might be helpful, if you're visiting craigslist for the first time. For one thing, my web browser shows a little Vietnam-era "peace" icon on the address bar. With no noticeable links to anything miliary-related, this site may be blocked at any business with "Tidwell" in its name.

Craigslist also has links to more than 70 different "discussion forums," on everything from religion and etiquette to "atheist" and "queer." There's even one called "P.O.C." - or "People of Color." So if they get tattoos, I suppose they have POC-marks.

But the craigslist discussion forums certainly are for adults only. I checked the Sports forum Wednesday night, and most of the entries in a thread on Nick Saban contained filthy language. Those Auburn fans really can be jealous, can't they?

The first mainstream word of craigslist arriving in this area apparently came in the "Columbus Community News" - which is to North Columbus what The Courier and Eco Latino are to the south side. Someday all those papers will cross Manchester Expressway.

It's interesting that a weekly paper was first with the news about craigslist - because in other cities the web site is giving newspapers fits, by taking away their classified advertising income. I think the ad sales offices call this a "game of column inches."

But because the Columbus craigslist is new, only a few local classified ads were there when I checked Wednesday. A few people were selling tickets to next month's Toby Keith concert at the Civic Center - getting whatever profits they can, before the show is called off for lack of interest.

You can also post upcoming activities and events at the Columbus craigslist. In fact, there are separate sections for "activities" and "events." I'm not sure what the difference is. Maybe an event is where everyone sits around, and nobody's active.

E-MAIL UPDATE: They say it helps to have friends in high places, and it appears we have a new one in Russell County:

Dear Sir;

Now that I've found you - I'm tempted to become ( as I've been told by others) a real pain in the #@*! I will try to resist.

I admit to being "driven" by the wrongdoing that is commonplace here in "Hurt"sboro - and realize that there are more pressing issues to the majority throughout the County. But, as you know - it only hurts when YOU are the one getting burned!!

I have a ton of facts; that I've kept to myself (I've informed the authorities) because I thought publishing them would interfere with any investigation. For example - my research indicates that two City Officials are guilty of criminal acts, But trying to get warrants issued has been impossable!!

Oh well! Now that the elections, and the HO-HO-HO season is over; maybe someone besides Sheriff Boswell will pay more attention.

Constable R.J. Schweiger....

Maybe the "ho-ho-ho season" has ended in his part of Russell County. But it never seems to stop in parts of Columbus South....

Constable Bob Schweiger sent the blog a separate e-mail Wednesday, naming the two Hurtsboro officials he believes are criminals. But we are NOT naming them for the moment here. We have not talked with them for their side of the story. And if we drive to Hurtsboro in a car with a Georgia license plate, that alleged armed gang might stop us at the city limits.

You would think Russell County Sheriff Tommy Boswell would have time to check on alleged corruption in Hurtsboro. After all, he's not the law officer trying to shut down bars....

But Bob Schweiger is about to lose someone who potentially could be a big ally in cleaning up Hurtsboro. The Wednesday evening news reminded me that Probate Judge Al Howard is about to leave office. If he can find small rules violations by county commissioners, he might be able to put the entire Hurtsboro City Council in jail.

Speaking of crime crackdowns in Russell County, Wednesday night's late news revealed Conrad Fowler had died in Tuscaloosa. He prosecuted some of the Phenix City corruption cases of the 1950's -- and you can't help wondering if he's been consulting Police Chief Brian McGarr over the last couple of months.

Now for other news notes from Wednesday:

+ Nick Saban agreed to become head football coach at the University of Alabama, after weeks of saying he wanted to stay with pro football's Miami Dolphins. Shame on Athletic Director Mal Moore! He used the same sort of tactics which cost Mike Price that very job -- only Saban's temptation is money.

(The Dothan Eagle reports more than 300 people were waiting at the Tuscaloosa airport to welcome Nick Saban. Either these football fans are incredibly desperate - or they're ready to give Saban resumes, to work as assistant coaches.)

+ From the Blog Byway Patrol: Seventh Street is closed downtown from Broadway to Second Avenue, and First Avenue is closed from Sixth to Eighth Street. The city is doing serious sewer repairs at Seventh and First - and that must be all, because the Historic Columbus Foundation wouldn't want "Streetscape" ruining anything there.

+ An afternoon run in the downtown area found one driver missing a stop sign on Eighth Street, and another driver going the wrong direction on one-way Fourth Street near the Oglethorpe Bridge. Is there any way we can extend "Safety Cab" until Martin Luther King Day?

+ WRBL interviewed Chattahoochee County officials - and inserted clips of a Cottonmouths fight, Coach Nick Saban and a boxing match. If you didn't know better, you might have thought ESPN's "Game Day" was heading to Cusseta this weekend.

+ Two former leaders of Atlanta's Morris Brown College were sentenced to home confinement, for stealing federal education dollars. They avoid prison time, while Linda Schrenko doesn't?! Where is the justice in.... oh yeah, I forgot. Schrenko used some of her money for a facelift.

+ The board of directors of Atlanta-based Home Depot fired President Bob Nardelli. So now you can apply to Arthur Blank for two jobs, not simply one....

(Bob Nardelli leaves Home Depot with a compensation package worth $210 million. If new mayor Jim Wetherington wants to fully fund public safety, he may have tried for the wrong job.)

+ Instant Message to Georgia Lottery President Margaret DeFrancisco: Some of us in Columbus are surprised at you. In your new commercial about one million HOPE scholarships, we thought sure you'd say at some point, "Thank you, Alabama."

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Wednesday, January 03, 2007

3 JAN 07: ALL-WETHERINGTON

"I want to congratulate the twoest new members...." So said the new mayor of Columbus Tuesday, during the inauguration of himself and new Councilors Tuesday. Maybe that's why even the program had lines calling it a "Swearing In Ceremony" - much easier to say.

Jim Wetherington took the oath of office as Columbus's 67^th mayor Tuesday afternoon -- and was the Government Center's Plaza Level ever swarming with police officers! You certainly can tell when the Fraternal Order of Police candidate wins an election.

(In fact, we hope those of you who speeding on Macon Road around midday Tuesday enjoyed it. With a "law-and-order" mayor now in charge, you can't expect that to last much longer.)

Jim Wetherington gave a 12-minute, mostly read-from-a-script speech, in which he outlined his "vision for the community." He wants the city to be more aggressive in finding problems. He wants the government to be more compassion in how it operates. And we all want the police department NOT to get those two things mixed up.

The new mayor began by thanking his campaign volunteers and promising, "I will never forget you." OK, you Government Center "sources" - be on the lookout for ticket fixing.

I didn't see former Mayor Bob Poydasheff at the ceremony, but Jim Wetherington gave credit to him. "Mayor Poydasheff's tracks are all over Columbus, Georgia," the new mayor said - which is interesting, because I only knew about that one street in a new subdivision.

Jim Wetherington offered a question for Columbus citizens to use, in evaluating his administration. "Do you trust your city government?" Some people would answer that they trust it about as far as a prison inmate can throw trash in a dumpster....

"We need to be more aggressive about finding and fixing problems," Jim Wetherington told about 300 people at the ceremony. From a "law and order" mayor, this sounds serious - to find the problem before the newspaper, TV stations and bloggers do.

On the other hand, the new mayor said Columbus city government needs to be "more compassionate in how we operate." The five new Councilors set a great example of this, by hugging each other after taking the oath of office. [True!]

Jim Wetherington confirmed Columbus still has 22 openings in the police force. He promised to fill those vacancies, but advised city departments NOT to use personnel shortages as a "crutch." Well, the Columbus Health Department might qualify as an exception....

Jim Wetherington also said he hopes to be remembered as a mayor who "listened to the people." It's a rare day when an elected official uses his opening speech to begin writing his farewell address.

Jim Wetherington talked of his concern for the Public Library property, and improving Midtown and Baker Village. But he said nothing about the future of downtown or Columbus South in general - so maybe that's where the first police sweeps are planned.

It was also inauguration day for five Columbus Councilors. Two of them are newcomers Jerry Barnes and Mike Baker - and Barnes blew a couple of kisses from the stage as he stood to take the oath. As we say, it's nice to see the more compassionate government starting so early.

Jim Wetherington asked friend Cheryl Myers to be "mistress of ceremonies" for the inauguration. You probably remember her as former TV news anchor Cheryl Morgan - and she recalled they first met when Wetherington was police chief, and she was "a pesky underpaid television reporter." Things have changed since then, of course. Today's reporters are a bit less pesky.

(In a big surprise, Cheryl Myers has turned quite brunette in recent months. At least she was nonpartisan - with her hair neither red nor blue.)

After the inaugural remarks, one "wild card" remained for me in the ceremony. We noted here last week Pastor Wayne Baker was asked to give the benediction - and to my surprise, he gave the sort of benediction you'd expect at the end of a Methodist church service. He did NOT pray for Sheriff's Deputies to be slower in drawing their weapons.

Before taking office, Jim Wetherington gave an "entry interview" to WRCG's TalkLine. Robbie Watson called him "Mayor" several times - leaving me to wonder if there was some secret ceremony at a Broadway nightclub early Monday, which no one else knew about.

The new mayor told WRCG he ran for office in part because "I tried retirement, and I didn't like it." Jim Wetherington even thanked his wife Shirley during his inaugural remarks for enduring his "detours from retirement." I won't be surprised if this former police chief winds up his years as a private investigator.

A ceremony scheduled for 45 minutes was over in 30, perhaps because it was a chilly and breezy day outside the Government Center. The midday sun was blocked by the main tower, so the north plaza was in the shade. Do you think that was done on purpose, to illustrate the impact of "landfill-gate?"

Anyone who's anyone in Columbus attended the inauguration. Among the people I saw were Columbus State University President Frank Brown, Chamber of Commerce President Mike Gaymon and potential Georgia NAACP President Edward DuBose. DuBose obviously was there to make sure no one uttered any racial slurs.

Incumbent Columbus Councilors also attended the ceremony. Gary Allen wore a suit, while Skip Henderson chose a sports jacket with an open collar - which helps you to spot which council member is liberal and which is conservative.

(I even spotted Pastor Prather Powell in the crowd - perhaps ready to take the District 5 council seat on the spot, if Mike Baker fell off the platform and had a concussion.)

The crowd then moved inside for a reception. Our first-ever blog entry was about Bob Poydasheff's Trade Center reception with all sorts of treats, big round tables and a jazz band. [6 Jan 03] Jim Wetherington's event was inside the Government Center's Plaza Level, with singers from Northside High School -- and people who found seats at only a few tables settled for chicken salad sandwiches.

The Northside chorus brought a boom-box for accompaniment - which was quite a change from my high school and college choir days, when a piano was always at events like this. You had to assume it was in tune sometimes, but at least it was there....

(The chorus at one point sang Waylon Jennings's "Mama, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" - and I told Mike Gaymon it was "classic music of the 20^th-century." He agreed.)

The reception also allowed me to meet Superior Court Judge Bobby Peters and his new wife, Kim. For some odd reason, so far MTV has NOT signed them to star in the next edition of "Newlyweds."

Your blog was first to confirm the wedding of Bobby Peters to a computer expert at Columbus State University [26 Nov 06]. The judge joked his bride has been trying to take my blog down ever since. This former attorney should realize it's HIS profession which could be more successful at doing this - through lawsuits.

So how did Bobby and Kim Peters meet? The judge revealed she was an interpreter in a court case he had. Don't they say something about love having a language all its own?

I left the Government Center at about 1:10 p.m., and a work crew had removed almost all the chairs set up on the outdoor Plaza Level for the inauguration. Maybe those inmates were given something for their effort. Not time off for good behavior -- but some pistachio cheese sandwiches from the reception.

Now let's walk home from the big event, and jot down some other news notes from Tuesday:

+ The Phenix City Police Chief warned Gonzoe's Sports Bar in the Phenix Plaza shopping center may be shut down, because of violations. The manager is trying to please the police, by imposing a minimum age of 25 -- so if the bar is shut down, he could turn it into a rent-a-car company.

(The manager of Gonzoe's Bar is named Jerry Barnes, but he's NOT the Jerry "Pops" Barnes who's now on Columbus Council. His sign makes that clear - he's "jazz and blues.")

+ St. Francis Hospital reported the use of "Safety Cab" over the holidays increased by 27 percent, compared with a year ago. This is one time when it's good for drunk drivers to be Yellow. Or Ranger, or City or....

+ Aflac promoted Paul Amos II to the title of President. Once again, the duck is a victim of nepotism....

+ Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban asked the University of Alabama for more time to consider a big contract proposal. When you're offered 40 million dollars and you have to "sleep on it," you must have a very good investment adviser.

+ Instant Message to Georgia running back Danny Ware: You didn't start at the end of the season, yet you're leaving college for the pro football draft?! I hope you enjoy playing in Canada....

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Tuesday, January 02, 2007

2 JAN 07: SOUTHERN JUSTICE

Before we begin, please don't be misled by our title. We will NOT focus on Jim Wetherington's inauguration until Wednesday....

Instead, we're talking "Bowl Day USA" here - and it was easy for me to pick a team to support in Monday's Cotton Bowl. Auburn is located close to Columbus. And the Nebraska Cornhuskers historically have squashed my old school Kansas in football like corn meal for a muffin.

Auburn pulled out a 17-14 Cotton Bowl win in Dallas, despite having only 46 yards of offense in the first half. The Tigers were saved by having plenty of POT -- you know, 14 Points Off Turnovers.

But ouch, the Fox Sports announcers at the Cotton Bowl had my jaw dragging the floor at times. Pat Summerall is a legend, but he declared the game had "a sellout crowd, of course" - even though the attendance was well under capacity, at less than 67,000. Maybe Summerall bought all those empty seats.

Then there was Fox Sports analyst Brian Baldinger, who declared a Cotton Bowl player attended Butler County Community College in "El Diablo, Kansas." Kansas natives like I winced, because the school is in El Dorado. Even in Kansas, cities would NOT be named after the devil.

If you watched the Cotton Bowl on WXTX, you also saw a clip of Carrie Underwood appearing before military personnel on a USO tour. An e-mailer last week [24 Dec 06] asked us what celebrities were doing for personnel in Iraq. Maybe they're trying to arrange more free streaming audio of bowl games.

But oh yes, there was a football game - and Auburn took the field at the Cotton Bowl by having players link arms with Coach Tommy Tuberville. What a nice show of unity. And what a nice opportunity next season, for a Lowe's sponsorship.

How weird was it to see a "B. Jackson" running for Nebraska, against Auburn? His name is Brandon Jackson, and he scored a touchdown. From what I've seen recently of Bo Jackson, he might have trouble running with boxes of his sweet potato pies.

Lest we forget, it actually was the "AT&T Cotton Bowl" - and you'd better get used to the AT&T logo which was all over the field, because the merger with BellSouth is now final. When they put the word "connected" all around the field, that includes the board of directors.

We should not overlook the referee of the Cotton Bowl, who officiated his last football game. He's the Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois -- as in Chicago. He may have been surprised no boosters tried to bribe him, to fix the outcome.

Things didn't go as well for Georgia Tech in its Bowl Day game. The Yellow Jackets had an 18-point third-quarter lead, but lost to West Virginia 38-35. We should have expected this comeback to happen - because Mountaineers are used to climbing uphill.

Georgia Tech and West Virginia faced off in Jacksonville, at the Toyota Gator Bowl. There was even a Toyota Tundra parked in the stands, behind one end zone - and I kept waiting for a kicker to put the ball in the truck's bed, to get a bonus point.

Did you see the big sign along the side of the field at the Gator Bowl, thanking "W.W. Gay employees?" At first I saw only the right side of the sign, and thought they might have moved the game from Jacksonville to San Francisco.

Georgia Tech sophomore quarterback Taylor Bennett offered hope for the future, as he led the offense to 335 first-half yards. That's the way the Reggie Ball bounces....

But do you realize in the last 365 days, West Virginia has beaten both Georgia and Georgia Tech in bowl games? Young men must not be mining coal the way they once did, and hurting their health with all that dust in their lungs.

One big question after the Gator Bowl is what will happen to Georgia Tech's star receiver Calvin Johnson. Will he return to college next season? Will he turn pro? And when was the last time a college football player like Johnson went to Bolivia, for something other than a Mormon mission?

The CBS broadcast team noted Calvin Johnson will go to Bolivia in a few weeks, as part of a Georgia Tech research project. For too many college students these days, it would be a research project to find Bolivia on an old-fashioned map.

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez may have brought back bad memories for some Alabama football fans. The CBS announcers said Rodriguez's decision to coach the Crimson Tide was announced on the P.A. system at her daughter's school last month -- but then Rodriguez talked with his daughter, and may have changed his mind. The lesson here is clear: talk to your family before the Birmingham News.

Alabama football made news Monday, even though its bowl game is over. Several reports say Nick Saban was offered a 40-million dollar package to leave Miami in the N.F.L. and become head coach. Athletic Director Mal Moore reportedly even flew to Miami - if only so Saban could see how Moore looks when he's absolutely desperate.

Football remains on our brain, as we send some Instant Messages....

+ To Jim Mora Jr.: Oh well -- at least now you have plenty of time to figure out the moving bill. How much would it cost to move from Atlanta to the University of Washington in Seattle?

+ To WEAM-AM: Let me get this straight. You had live coverage of the New Mexico Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl - but apparently NOT the Rose Bowl?! I mean, the University of Michigan is on our side of the Mississippi River.

+ To everyone I saw riding bicycles on the Riverwalk late Monday afternoon: Were the children having some kind of race? And did my jogging by some of them hurt their egos so much that they quit?

+ To everyone who lit fireworks in Columbus Monday afternoon and evening: I don't think you can declare a New Year's "rain delay."

COMING WEDNESDAY: A new era begins at the Government Center....

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Monday, January 01, 2007

1 JAN 07: HAND OUT THE HARDWARE

Thank you, thank you all -- and welcome to the annual Burkard Awards, honoring the most noteworthy people, places and things of 2006! We do this now to beat the award show rush. And besides, you may still be wearing "party formals" as you read this.

Without any further adieu (and why do people never admit they add further adieu, anyway?), let's present the Burkard Award winners for this year!

+ Biggest news story of the year: The Northern Little League winning the World Series. But what did they do wrong? They're NOT on Tuesday's mayoral inauguration program.

+ Biggest political story of the year: Two longtime incumbents in Columbus city government being voted out of office. Maybe the "Big Eddy Club" has been replaced by the F.O.P. Club.

+ Biggest business story of the year: Road America's new call center. I'll believe there's a Kia plant in West Point when there's a grand opening, and the executives are not in prison.

+ Most shocking business development: The closing of not one, but two barbecue restaurants along U.S. 280 in Phenix City. All those new restaurants at Columbus Park Crossing must be disrupting people's taste buds.

+ Biggest business mystery: That Eufaula may approve a Wal-Mart SuperCenter faster than Columbus Council did for the store in Midland. I won't be surprised if Eufaula's store opens first.

+ Biggest overall mystery of the year: The name of the Revenue Department employee who wrote off landfill payments, and shredded documents detailing them. Could this person possibly be a member of the Big Eddy Club?

+ Biggest sports mystery of the year: How 8,000 or more fans could fill the Columbus Civic Center to welcome home the Little League champions at 6:00 p.m. on a stormy afternoon, but nowhere near that many show up for Columbus Catfish games at 7:00 p.m. when the weather's nice.

+ Politician most in denial: Don Siegelman. Honorable mention: Nathan Suber.

+ Politician most conspicuous by his silence: Dylan Glenn.

+ Candidate most likely to run for office in 2008 and win: Ronnie Reed for Russell County Commissioner.

+ Candidate most likely NOT to be reelected: Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. We awarded him this last year, too - but now it's because of term limits.

+ Best prediction on our part from a year ago: The switch of WHAL-AM from gospel music to Spanish. I think I've finally figured out the difference between Paulina Rubio's voice and Shakira's.

+ Subject of the most frequent negative rumors: Muscogee County Schools Athletic Director Charles Flowers. He hasn't left his job. He doesn't have an official assistant. And he wasn't able to fix the baseball playoffs, so Shaw beat Columbus High.

+ Coach of the year: At the risk of being daring, we give this to Carver High School football coach Dell McGee. Few people really expected this "Dell upgrade" to work, yet it did.

+ Best potential sports trade: The Atlanta Falcons dealing Jim Mora Jr. to Alabama, for Mike Shula and a couple of draft choices.

+ Mismatch of the year: Russell County Sheriff Tommy Boswell asking for a 20 percent staff raise, while it was the Phenix City Council which voted for awhile to triple the mayor's salary.

+ Utility person of the year: WRBL's now-departed Blaine Stewart. He anchored the news, presented the weather for several weeks, had the title "Senior Producer" - and we may hear him for months to come, explaining the fine points of high-definition TV.

+ Beggar of the year: We met eight of them, and give the prize to the man in the parking lot of Winn-Dixie on South Lumpkin Road. He said twice, "I'm not a bad person" - then refused to let us see the car which needed gas, and said he could only accept money where he was standing.

+ Biggest disappointment of the year: WRCG dismissing Antonio Carter as co-host of "TalkLine." His rotating replacements would never mix in with the crowd at a civil rights rally.

+ Most disappointing sale (so far): The quitting-business sale at Parisian. A 20-percent discount off overpriced clothing is still too high.

+ Strangest controversy of the year: The debate in the Ledger-Enquirer over who killed Columbus Square Mall. Maybe the man who led the Princess Diana inquiry should come to town, and settle this.

+ Strangest irony of the year: That the "Lucky 7 Lounge" caught fire, and didn't make it to the start of 2007.

+ Biggest musical embarrassment: The Columbus Civic Center selling only a couple dozen tickets for its tenth anniversary concert. Maybe if the Northern Little League had been taught to sing....

+ Most interesting tour of homes: To see where Ed Harbison lives, in both Columbus and Atlanta.

+ Most distracting thing for Riverwalk joggers: The smell of cinnamon rolls and pies from the Dolly Madison bakery on Victory Drive.

+ Nicest surprise on radio: The new WURY-FM at 97.1. What other Christian radio station would dare play Elvis Presley songs?

+ Most overdue improvement on radio: WDAK adding more local news to each half-hour in the morning. But I still think Bruce Lee is a better meteorologist than Chris Weber.

+ Best new discovery on Columbus television: The Rivertown Ford infomercials. The staff's stardom has gone to their heads so much, they appeared in the Bi-City Christmas Parade.

+ Nicest distraction on Columbus television: Deborah Singer. Yes, I've told her (sort of). Yes, she's spoken for. Sigh.

+ Longest name on Columbus television: WRBL reporter Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield.

+ Best candidate for a TV reality series: The Russell County School District.

+ Funniest preacher: LaGrange's Aaron McCollough, whose "Fresh Fire" broadcast is on WSHE-AM on Sunday mornings. Sometimes he cracks so many one-liners that he forgets the topic of his sermon.

+ Best blog competition: the new "Fountain City Journal," written by Columbus political activist Colin Martin. He analyzes local politics. Now all he needs is a joke writer.

+ Nicest weather surprise: That I can write this blog on the night of December 31 in running shorts, without the heat on.

+ Nicest (other) thing about a rainy December 31: That your neighbor in the apartment complex can't shoot off his noisy "sparklers" just outside his porch.

+ Blog joke of the year: We defer to a co-worker, who offered this question in early December -- why didn't Columbus Councilor Nathan Suber put on a cape in his campaign commercials, and call himself "Suber-man?" It just might have worked.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 3223 (- 170, 5.1%)

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