28 JUN 09: Beat (With Words) Cops

Can you believe we're approaching one year since Columbus voters approved the "streets and safety" sales tax? I'm starting to see a difference around town. In fact, I used that new sidewalk up Tenth Street from Bay to Front Avenue Saturday night - and it certainly beats jogging on the street.

Several people have sent us e-mails in recent days about the Columbus Police. We planned to address them even before Saturday night's news focused on the "Call to Talk" meeting with the police chief and sheriff. Amazingly, Muscogee County Sheriff John Darr talked about a deadly shooting four years before Ralph Johnson would have.

Police Chief Ricky Boren faced questions at Fourth Street Baptist Church about an incident you might consider old news: the speeding ticket for officer J.D. Hawk, and his phone call to the home of the state trooper who pulled him over [8 May 08]. Civil rights leaders want Hawk punished for that phone call - which tells you he's not like that Chicago hockey team. You know, the "Black Hawks...."

Ricky Boren told the forum he was NOT the only one to determine J.D. Hawk's phone call was NOT intimidation. He said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reached the same conclusion, as did the F.B.I. The state trooper's only remaining option may be to appeal to The Hague, and somehow declare that phone call a war crime.

The Georgia NAACP called in March for the Georgia Attorney General's office to investigate J.D. Hawk's phone call [22 Mar]. Aw, c'mon - Thurbert Baker never had time to review the Kenneth Walker case, and that left a man dead.

(But hmmm - would Thurbert Baker take the Georgia NAACP up on that request, since he's now running for governor? If enough Caucasian police officers are punished, African-American voters might forget what Roy Barnes did with the state flag.)

If state trooper J.D. Perry really wants to punish J.D. Hawk for that phone call, it seems the only way to do it is through a civil suit. But Perry asks for trouble if he does that. First of all, he might lose. Second of all, Hawk might actually reveal that embarrassing information about Perry he mentioned over the phone.

All this brings us to the police e-mail. Our first message continues a topic which really began last Sunday. A reader vented here about the Columbus police chief. Then another reader demanded more details on Monday. Today comes the response:

I will admit I hate Chief Ricky Boren because he is a two faced liar politician. The only way he will do anything as Chief is if he is embarrassed into doing it. When I complained about how we had NO PLAN for a school shooting incident, he got off his b**t and did something about it....15 years after Columbine. Its just one more example of how he just doesn't care. He is riding out his time until he retires and could care less about what happens at the Columbus Police Department. I have been saying it for almost 5 years now and I will say it again...the Columbus Police Department is hiring less than qualified people in an effort to fill the uniforms. Chief Borens plan to "fill the uniforms" wasn't supposed to be a problem until after he retired. Well apparently its biting him in the b**t now, sooner than he thought. I won't list any names just yet, but here are some examples of what the city is hiring:

1. A group of Officers in uniform got drunk at a restaurant and skipped out on the bill.

2. An Officer was hired after being arrested for a family violence offense and now has done enough during his probationary period to be fired and arrested for various city ordinance violations, but that isn't going to happen due to who he is related to.

3. An Officer is currently working at the department after being arrested for DUI, but others have been fired for the same offense.

4. An Officer is currently working at the department after his ex-girlfriend called the Police on him on more than one occasion for several family violence offenses that would have landed the average citizen in jail with a STEEP bond and a restraining order. He was never charged after a female Lieutenant made a "command decision."

5. An Officer is currently working at the department who committed a FELONY by giving out information obtained from NCIC/GBIC. Other Officers in the state of Georgia have been arrested and are serving time for this offense.

6. An Officer is currently working at the department after being arrested for shoplifting.

The list goes on and on.

To provide full disclosure, we should add this writer probably also dislikes the police chief because the chief fired him last year. Misery loves company, you know - even on the unemployment line.

This e-mail almost implies Chief Ricky Boren didn't want the one-percent sales tax approved last July. As I recall, he supported Mayor Jim Wetherington in getting it passed. Boren could have pulled a Bob Poydasheff, and hidden in an office saying "no comment."

Several of the cases listed here are mysterious and new to us, but one already has made the news. At last report, Corporal Roderick Winston was on administrative leave - and the charges go beyond drunk driving to speeding. But what if he's found not guilty? How crowded do we want the NAACP news conferences to be?

(We must note Roderick Winston is the widower of Shirley Winston - the officer who died on duty in 1990, and now has a city park named after her. We don't know if that explains how his case is being handled. But at least that should stop any rumors that "big tobacco" is involved.)

By the way, before you write us -- yes, we know it's only been ten years since the Columbine High School killings. If this e-mailer can't get a big historical detail correct, maybe some of the offenses on this "rap sheet" were settled five years ago.

Now for Columbus Police in training to do the right thing - but what kind of right thing?

Hi Richard:

I know this is shameless but I simply couldn't resist....

Columbus Officers Train to Combat Litter

It's good to know after all the recent news that the Columbus Police department's cracking down!

Yes, a group of local law officers attended a workshop Friday on "Litter Enforcement Training." Who knows how many discarded cans of energy drinks could lead to high-speed chases?

To be fair, not only Columbus Police officers attended Friday's litter workshop. Members of the Marshal's office were there as well. You may see some of them out along Interstate 185 today -- scouting out a mile to adopt, so the Junior Marshals can pick up trash twice a year.

But the workshop leaders who came to Columbus from Keep Georgia Beautiful make a valid point. Why are so many people uncaring, and toss things like cigarette stubs out their car windows? It's almost as if they want state prison crews to work extra-hard.

Here's one last e-mail involving police, which came from outside Columbus:

Richard,

I came across your blog from 11/30/07 today and it prompted me to write you and see if you might be able to give me an update on some old Columbus news..

It's pure nosiness on my part, but I used to be very good friends with one of James Burns' daughters in Florida when her dad was murdered in 1992. It was a very difficult time for the family as you can imagine and we would follow the story in the newspaper as best we could. At the time, I recall that the GBI was very closed mouth on information given to the family amid questions that Mrs. Burns (the widow) might even be the prime suspect (a ridiculous notion, if you knew her). I read references to the police "bungling" the investigation, but never see anything further for clarification..

Just my curiosity, but I am wondering whatever became of the case, etc..

Thanks for any light you might be able to shed..

Bob Burns.

(no relation)

Lt. Lynn Joiner with Columbus Police told me there's a "cold case investigator" assigned to matters such as the killing of Superintendent Burns. We hope to talk to that investigator this coming week to learn more details -- such as whether the case has been offered to that CBS police show.

. Lynn Joiner noted there's no statute of limitations in Georgia on murder cases. That allowed for an arrest earlier this year in the Curry family killings from 1985. There's also no statute of limitations on appealing murder cases -- as Carlton Gary knows all too well.

Superintendent Burns was killed before I moved to Columbus. I've heard stories from time to time about police mishandling the case, but people making that claim never have explained to me what happened. Let's clear up one other rumor, though -- I do NOT think this case is connected to that other shooting of a "Mr.
Burns" which gained national attention.

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BIG PREDICTION UPDATE: Boo-hoo - we were wrong again about the Miss Georgia pageant. Kristina Higgins won the title at the RiverCenter Saturday night. She's "Miss Capital City," while our choice Kristen Little is "Miss Georgia State University." Well, at least both are in Atlanta....

Now a quick check of other weekend news:

+ Which man preached in a Columbus church that the late Michael Jackson "accepted Satan's ways"? And added Elvis Presley did the same thing? Someday I'll find that Bible verse which condemns shaking hips back and forth.

+ Organizers of the "Columbus Tea Party" held what they called an "emergency protest" outside the Government Center, over a bill in Congress concerning global warming. Apparently it was an emergency because the warming really is happening, and the high temperature Saturday was 96 degrees F.

(The protesters are especially upset over a "cap and trade" section of an energy bill. This seems curious to me -- since basketball and football teams make trades to stay under the salary cap all the time.)

+ WRBL reported the Columbus Civic Center has a new five-year food agreement with the "Boston Culinary Group." That's nice, I suppose - but I think Columbus residents would be more thrilled if we had a Boston Market restaurant.

(The new food agreement means the Civic Center will have its first full-time chef. Maybe a nicer pre-game meal for the Columbus Cottonmouths will mean fewer brawls during games.)

+ Fort Benning held an Independence Day party and fireworks show - one week before Independence Day. It's not quite like opening Halloween costume shops in August, but they're heading in that direction....

+ The Columbus Lions confirmed they're playoff-ready by flattening Fayetteville 44-25. Schedules printed at the start of the season indicated the Lions would be in Charlotte this weekend - but apparently the version showing the Carolina Speed came out too speedily.

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BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 647 (+18, 2.9%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

27 JUN 09: Bad, Good or In Between

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

We checked the news sources carefully Friday, both on TV and the web. We wondered if the events of Thursday would prompt any candidates to change their plans. But so far, NO one in our area has announced he or she is running for King of Pop.

I wondered for years where Michael Jackson gained the "King of Pop" title. Then CNN reported Thursday night the phrase came from Elizabeth Taylor. Perhaps she never came to Columbus - where plenty of people considered Royal Crown Cola the king of pop.

The sudden death of Michael Jackson is inspiring a wider range of reactions than you might think. Callers to WFXE-FM Thursday night offered sympathies and condolences. Then Friday, talk show host Glenn Beck on WDAK called Jackson "a freak." And unlike that old soul tune, he was far more than a "freak of the week."

A mix of memories come to mind when I think of Michael Jackson. There was the day I spoke up in a cable TV newsroom: "Lisa-Marie Presley confirms she married Michael Jackson."

"No way!" a woman sitting next to me said. Then she saw the breaking news on her computer screen seconds later. Prowling around the California state news wire gave me an edge of about 15 seconds.

I handled "Factoids" for CNN Headline News at the time - and found out weeks later when Michael Jackson married Lisa-Marie Presley in the Dominican Republic, a "Justice of the Peace" performed the ceremony. The celebrity couple paid him 50 dollars to do it. You'd think they would have thrown in an autographed album or something....

The church groups I've attended over the years were as mixed about Michael Jackson as I was. Songs such as "Bad" and "Human Nature" didn't seem to reflect godly themes. Yet one congregation couldn't stop dancing to "Billie Jean" after a spring dinner - including a delighted church pastor, who might have stopped that after the child molestation complaint came out.

Michael Jackson tried a lot of things in his 50-plus years - but do you remember his short fling with religion? He spent some time with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and reportedly did some witnessing in a shopping mall one weekend. This is one time I actually wish the Jehovah's Witnesses convention was in town, to find out what led to Jackson leaving.

But here's the most foreboding thing for me about this week's news - I was born 25 days before Michael Jackson. So when I awoke early Friday to a bit of pain in my chest, I actually wondered if my death would get as much coverage on the evening news.

Michael Jackson's death is a reminder that no one knows how long they have to live. A current Christian song puts it well: "I guess we're all one phone call from our knees." In fact, I was there recently - but I make sure to spend time on my knees BEFORE the call comes. If you do that, the blows of life can be easier to bear. Even the final blow can be less of a knockout punch.

Several people who called "Foxie 105" the other night said they're praying for Michael Jackson's family. That's a nice thing to do. But don't forget to pray to God all the time. The Biblical book of Philippians says you should "in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." To borrow from a Jackson album, let God write "HIS-tory" in you.

SCHEDULED SUNDAY: The e-mailer who claims to have a police "rap sheet" answers a reader's challenge....

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BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 629 (- 75, 10.7%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

26 JUN 09: Staying Power?

It's the middle of summer vacation -- but Thursday brought surprisingly good news about public schools in east Alabama. But no, that good news was NOT a unanimous decision on the Russell County Superintendent....

The news came from a new "Education Week" report on high school graduation rates across the country. Believe it or not, Phenix City Superintendent Larry DiChiara says his district placed in the national top five. Yet he did NOT call on residents to celebrate the ranking by approving a new school sales tax.

The latest senior class included in the Education Week study was 2006. Almost 69 percent of Phenix City's students that year graduated on time. OK, Glenwood School - how did YOUR senior class do? And please separate the "couldn't afford tuition" group from everyone else.

The graduation rate in Phenix City has shown a sharp increase in recent years. In 2002 the rate was 38.5 percent. In 2006 it was 68.9 percent. Assuming this trend line has continued, everyone in Central High School's class of 2010 could take a fleet of buses to Auburn University.

The high national ranking sounded downright remarkable - but then I listened carefully to how Phenix City Superintendent Larry DiChiara explained it Thursday night on WLTZ. It was a top-five ranking in "exceeding expectations," not the graduation rate itself. So Central High School apparently were praised for not being as stupid as the stereotype-makers thought.

Education Week's report includes not only the senior class graduation rate, but a "district performance score" for doing better or worse than expected. There's a mathematical formula on the web site for how that expectation is figured - as opposed to simply polling 100 cynical bloggers.

Auburn city schools also won praise from Education Week - as the 2006 high school graduation rate was 84.4 percent. Of course, Auburn schools have enjoyed a reputation for years of being much better than average. Only this past spring did that reputation finally reach the high school baseball team.

But the Education Week study is not so kind to Georgia's public schools. Only about 56 percent of eligible high school seniors graduated in the latest reporting year - and only Nevada's percentage was lower. Now I'm really wondering about the University of Georgia hiring the University of Nevada's men's basketball coach.

In fact, Education Week reports Muscogee County's graduation rate in 2006 was a lowly 48.3 percent. That's down from 53.1 percent in 1996, and a full 20 percentage points below Phenix City. Who could have imagined this? Cross the 13^th Street Bridge into Alabama, and the teenagers become 20 percent smarter.

Yet the Education Week "district performance score" for Muscogee County is 112.9 - so the graduation rate is about 13 percent better than expectations. Based on my math, that means only 43 percent of the high school students in Columbus are expected to graduate. It also might mean we need several more skateboard parks around town.

The Education Week report includes another statistic which could surprise you. More than 60 percent of the students in Muscogee County and Phenix City public schools are African-American. Yet majority-Caucasian Russell County schools have the lowest graduation rate of all. To borrow from Dr. King, let us not judge by the color of one's skin - but the content of one's brain.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Someone actually noticed our big milestone of the week. At least someone wrote us about it....

Dear Richard,

Congratulations on 2,000 blog posts! Your site continues to be daily reading for me.

I wanted to let you know we have launched my official campaign website, www.joshmckoon.com. I hope you will share that with your readers and let them know that is where they can go online to find out more about my positions on issues facing the Georgia General Assembly. We hope to add more content in the coming months, including position papers on issues and more of my speeches on various topics of public interest. My speech to the Columbus Georgia Tea Party is available there as well as other information about the campaign.

I hope you will take the time to review the site yourself and I look forward to any feedback on issues you or your readers would like to share with me.

Regards,

Josh

Hmmmm -- if Josh McKoon is asking us to post an e-mail about his campaign web site, does that mean he can't afford to buy any ads yet?

Since we were double-dared invited, we checked the Josh McKoon campaign web site Thursday night. It lists five main issues in his State Senate bid - and in a stunning surprise, not one of them mentions adding park land in midtown Columbus.

The Josh McKoon web site also invites you to a campaign fundraiser next Monday evening. Trouble is, it's in Atlanta - and on the 27^th floor of a midtown skyscraper. Yes sir, we like our officeholders to be down-to-earth local folks....

Let's take one more message, about last weekend's big events:

Richard, I was driving down Victory Dr last Thursday afternoon and noticed a commercial lawn service had many employees cutting grass on the city right-of-way and picking up litter there and in the median on Victory Dr. I realize the cleanup was probably due to the 2nd Grand Opening of the Infantry Museum the next day and the AFLAC Games that weekend, both taking place in that general area. My lst thought was that the city waited rather late to clean up that area as many out of towners had already arrived. Also, I thought that cleanup was usually done by city workers or prisoners. So my questions are: why did the city wait so late to do the cleanup and how much did the city spend on the contract for this private company to do this work? And was this contract put out for bid? In some foreign countries that I've lived in property owners are required to keep the public area in front of their property clean. That sure would save the city government a lot of money especially now when tax revenues are down. Just curious

I see no problem with cutting the grass on the eve of a big event. It's a bit like Fort Benning soldiers getting their haircut on the afternoon before a big inspection.

The new Columbus city budget taking effect next week includes $2.4 million for "landscape and forestry." A search of the city web site found grass cutting historically has gone through a bidding process, when it comes to clearing lots. And besides, prisoners probably aren't allowed to work outside in the afternoons at this time of year. They could claim heatstroke, and sue the city for millions.

I've noticed a private company doing landscaping work along the Riverwalk for months, while I've been out jogging. In fact, at this time of year it's a race for me to get outside and exercise before the work crew starts blowing dirt and grass clippings into my lungs.

We're holding two more e-mails for the weekend - but in the meantime, let's check other Thursday news:

+ The Columbus NAACP held a rally at the Government Center in behalf of convicted killer Troy Davis. But from what I saw on TV, the attendance was less than 15 people. That's what happens when the NAACP holds an event at the same time and place as a Sheriff's Department blood drive.

+ Federal health officials announced Muscogee and Sumter County have the first cases of "swine flu." That's OK - as long as the count stays at H-1-N-1, Ill-1.

+ Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions told National Public Radio he's not sure "hate crime" discrimination still occurs today against women and homosexual people. Perhaps his next trip to Russell County should include a stop at the Shelter for Battered Women....

+ WFXE-FM called off its usual evening programming, to play music by the late Michael Jackson. They even played "The Girl is Mine" - perhaps marking the first time Paul McCartney has been heard on "Foxie 105" in decades.

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: We wrote plenty of jokes about Michael Jackson over the years -- but this isn't the right time to bring them out. We might in a few days.)

To offer a story tip, advertise to our readers, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 704 (+ 19, 2.8%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

25 JUN 09: Three Eyes, Not Blind

First there was Columbus Police at "Family Day in the Park." Now Russell County has its own way to get an overhead view of events as they happen. Our local government agencies are only about 15 years behind the TV "skycams," but they're trying....

The Russell County Commission watched a new surveillance device in action Wednesday. The Homeland Security Department used state grant money to purchase the "CAM-V." No, I don't think you operate it with a keyboard by pressing CTL-V.

The Houston company which sells the CAM-V says surveillance cameras can be raised 23 feet in the air, to watch over a wide range of activities. The device can be used for governmental projects. Or companies can use it to watch for thieves at construction sites - so cops can capture copper-nappers faster than they can learn to say the phrase, "Cops can capture copper-nappers."

The CAM-V can lift as may as four cameras. The model displayed for the Russell County Commission seemed to only have three - which again will lead critics to say Russell County is one camera shy of a full load.

(But at least Russell County is willing to spend a little money on this device. The alternative is to hope for a good satellite photo from Google maps at exactly the right moment of the day.)

Russell County Homeland Security Director William Alexander explained some of the ways the CAM-V might be used. For instance, the cameras can watch for signs of life after a natural disaster -- which means the device could be rented by Auburn University for some football games this fall.

But William Alexander also admitted the CAM-V could be used for law enforcement surveillance. For instance, it might be set up at the Russell County Sheriff's Department shooting range -- to catch Phenix City police officers trying to have some fun without permission.

The use of the CAM-V brings us back to a Bugs Bunny quote we mentioned in May: "Didya ever have the feeling you was being watched?" [27 May] This contraption is a new way for Russell County authorities to monitor what you do - although so far the video is NOT going on cable TV, the way Bear O'Brian's radio studio is.

I've heard plenty of people warn in recent years that surveillance equipment such as the CAM-V can intrude on your right to privacy. But it amazes me how often I've heard church pastors complain about that sort of thing. You'd think those ministers would realize Someone (ahem) is watching over them all the time now - and probably more closely than the Russell County sheriff.

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BLOG UPDATE: Take that, you scoffers! Our pick for the Miss Georgia pageant won a preliminary round Wednesday night. Kristen Little led her group in the evening gown competition. Tonight her group wears swimsuits - while somewhere on Victory Drive, a nightclub owner ponders how to reenact this change without the 24-hour delay.

WRBL's web site is offering live streaming video of every night of the Miss Georgia pageant. Aw, c'mon - for an event like this, a little web-cam simply isn't enough. Single guys like me want to see attractive young women in high-definition.

Now for other items, from a Wednesday which admittedly didn't inspire much humor....

+ Fort Benning changed commanding generals, with Gen. Michael Ferriter taking charge. Gen. Michael Barbero will take over multinational military operations in Iraq -- so he's taking careful notes on his move out, to help thousands of soldiers overseas do the same.

+ Richard Hyatt's web site revealed Mark Shelnutt delivered welcoming remarks during the recent United Methodist Church conference at the Columbus Civic Center. Shelnutt did this several weeks after his federal indictment - which may again prove the most-quoted verse in the Bible really is, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

+ WXTX "News at Ten" showed a project by Auburn University architecture students, which turns cargo containers into modular homes. This is a creative approach - and homeowners might be able to make extra money, from people who mistake their house for a self-storage center.

+ Alabama State Treasurer Kay Ivey toured the state, announcing she'll run for governor next year. Personally, I don't think she has much of a chance. I base this on that classic December song "The Holly and the Ivey" - where the holly always wears the crown.

+ Instant Message to WLGA-TV: Have you considered putting your late-evening programming from the "Artists and Fans Network" on a second digital channel, and showing it around the clock? Or have you decided Country Music Television will file suit to keep your station off cable TV, and you'll lose?

To offer a story tip, advertise to our readers, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 685 (+ 22, 3.3%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

24 JUN 09: Sparkle Plenty

Am I missing something here? Independence Day is only ten days away, yet I still haven't seen any commercials for fireworks stands on TV. If I find out Wanda the "Bang Bang Lady" laid off the "Boom Boom Lady," it's really going to hurt.

The first fireworks show of the season was staged in Columbus Tuesday. It admittedly wasn't a very big one, as it was set up by the Georgia Fire Commissioner and a deputy fire chief. They apparently didn't even jazz it up, by exploding watermelons.

The Ledger-Enquirer reports the "fireworks show" at a Columbus fire station consisted of the lighting of four sparklers. This sounds perfect for 4 July, if you have the budget of the Columbus Woodbats....

While sparklers are legal to light across Georgia, other kinds of fireworks are not. Bottle rockets are illegal. And you should leave the "cherry bombs" for some wild ice cream float at Sonic.

If you're caught shooting off illegal fireworks in Georgia, you could be fined $1,000. But here's the thing - most of the time, aren't the fireworks faster than the law officer? Police would have to drive by at the right moment. And they'd have to determine the cloud of smoke is from firecrackers and not a barbecue grill.

Georgia Fire/Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine urged Columbus residents NOT to buy fireworks in East Alabama. He explained most of the items sold there are illegal to shoot in Georgia. Translation: he's running for Governor, and concerned about sending tax dollars out of state.

Yes, I know John Oxendine came to Columbus wearing his "Georgia Fire Commissioner" hat. But let's be honest here - he's an announced candidate for Governor, and considered by some people the current Republican front-runner. And on a tour like this, his commissioner's hat doesn't cover his candidate's face.

John Oxendine admits he opposed the legalization of sparklers in Georgia several years ago. But now he considers them a "safer alternative" to other fireworks. If he backtracks on something like this, should we trust him on bigger issues? Would Oxendine's support of firearms somehow widen to include firecrackers?

(If fireworks really mattered that much to John Oxendine, they'd be part of his 12-point "Contract with Georgia." But they're not - as he merely settles there for building new water reservoirs, to handle the damage.)

To be fair: the John Oxendine campaign web site does NOT include his Columbus trip to promote fireworks safety. But perhaps it's no coincidence that the web site also does NOT mention expanding the state budget for public safety personnel, to handle the damage.

P.S. If our title today sounds familiar, you may be showing your age. "Sparkle Plenty" is a longtime character in the Dick Tracy comic strip, who married Tracy's son. Any resemblance to the marriage of Nancy and Ricky Boren is purely coincidental.

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E-MAIL UPDATE: Here's a comment ripped from the Tuesday news headlines....

Hi Richard:

Uptown BID Boss doesn't know about the shooting and robberies that happened Saturday night in Uptown until contacted by a news reporter Monday afternoon. He say's "We didn't have any problems with our six security officers down there." How can six police officers patrolling a street full of drunks not identify any problems the entire weekend?

Just wonderin'

Well, let's check that quote from Mr. BID again. He didn't have any problems with the six security officers. Other people downtown were the problem.

But other officers may be coming to the aid of the Business Improvement District officers. The Tuesday evening news reported the Columbus State University Police is increasing patrols downtown. And if that doesn't make things safe, they'll really get serious - and send in Columbus Police officers.

An even more recent crime seems to have downtown business owners especially concerned. A woman was robbed as she left Phenix Finance Monday afternoon, reportedly by men who tried to offer her books. Be suspicious of anyone who can't find Judy Bugs down the street.

The manager of Phenix Finance suggested the city put "cameras on corners" downtown. Uhhhh - doesn't Broadway already have that? They're between the traffic lights at several intersections. If police isn't going to use them to catch speeders and red-light runners, we might as well go more upscale.

Now for other notes from the Tuesday news....

+ The high temperature in Columbus dropped a little, but still was 95 degrees F. St. Francis Hospital reports several people have been treated for heatstroke -- while countless men dream of getting to a golf course for a different kind of "stroke" treatment.

+ Harris County businessman Earl Davis joined the crowd of candidates for Vance Davis's state House seat. The way this is going, District 129 will wind up with 129 candidates.

+ The Lee County School Board reviewed bids for a new high school in Smiths Station. Officials were stunned to find the bids were millions of dollars under budget. Only one business was disappointed by this - as Long Buildings hoped to be the discount builder of last resort.

+ WRBL visited the Village at Westgate subdivision in Fort Mitchell, where a neighborhood group has formed to provide activities for teenagers. The report showed a basketball court, sand volleyball court and baseball diamond -- all empty. Perhaps the family with the X-Box is away on vacation....

+ Instant Message to the driver I saw pulled over by a police officer on Wynnton Road: You understand why he was suspicious, right? It's one thing to have a temporary "dealer tag" on your used car. But in June 2009, it's another thing to have the tag say "Bill Heard."

To offer a story tip, advertise to our readers, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 663 (+ 14, 2.2%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

23 JUN 09: Owen No!

It's a big day for this little blog - as we post for the 2,000^th time! OK, admittedly it's not as earth-shaking and huge as that announcement by "Jon and Kate" on cable TV Monday night, but still....

(And this is certainly NOT a thrilling day for critics of this blog. They're the ones asking: "Why 2-K?")

We pondered what to do to mark blog post #2,000. We could have been historical or self-congratulating - but then Monday evening, some breaking news reached us by e-mail:

was there when they came out of the meeting to close the library for up to 3 months because of needed roof repairs.

This is the library at Chattahoochee Valley Community College. So don't worry, Columbus parents - the magician who plays the banjo still will be at the central library today.

The web site of Chattahoochee Valley Community College confirms the library known as Owen Hall was closed to the public Friday afternoon. The announcement does NOT give a date or time for its reopening. But don't be surprised if the student "scavenger hunt" at the start of fall semester has shingles on the list.

Regular visitors to Owen Hall may not be surprised by this shutdown. Parts of the library seemingly have been roped off for years, including a center staircase on the main floor. When beauty pageant contestants can't even pose for pictures on the stairs, they MUST be dangerous.

Sections of the second floor at Owen Hall have been blocked off from time to time, apparently due to a leaky roof. At least that's what I assumed. I can't imagine the library staff would keep students away from the religious books....

(That reminds me of something - who was the smart aleck who developed the special sorting system for college libraries? The one that's so different from the Dewey Decimal System? Is it only coincidence that religious books are found under the code letters B-S?)

But I digress: Chattahoochee Valley Community College has set up what it calls "limited library services" at Brassell Hall. But other services apparently are being moved off-campus - perhaps to the Phenix City Library. Once students learn they can play Wii games at the Phenix City Library, CVCC may have to add more than a new roof.

Troy University has a campus across the street from Chattahoochee Valley Community College, but they've shared library resources at Owen Hall. Who knows - this closing may open the way for students to loiter at the Troy campus bookstore.

The roof repairs at Owen Hall only add to a busy construction season at Chattahoochee Valley Community College. You may recall work began on a new Instructional Center in March. It's nice to see the construction crew will be able to make extra money during the lunch hour....

I know a good bit about Owen Hall because I've visited it several times over the years. It once had (and still may have) the only free-to-use typewriter of any area library. For someone with uncooperative computer printers, it came in handy for typing labels. And some college instructors may have used it as a prop in American History classes.

BLOG UPDATE: The race for Vance Smith's Georgia House seat keeps becoming more crowded. The Ledger-Enquirer reported Monday Steve Earles will run. Earles owns a salon in Pine Mountain, and serves on the state "Professional Licensing Board of Massage Therapy." I can't wait for the campaign debate, when Jerry Luquire asks how many times Earles has stopped on Victory Drive.

Now before we start planning our next 1,000 blog entries, let's see what else made news Monday:

+ The high temperature in Columbus again reached 98 degrees F. WXTX "News at Ten" interviewed a young woman who has an ice cream truck parked along Whitesville Road. There's a potential punchline here about single guys ordering two scoops, but I refuse to go there.

+ Columbus Police speculated someone may have driven a stolen car into the lake at Carver Park. It's either that, or someone panicked when their engine overheated....

+ The Americus Times-Recorder reported someone has padlocked Sumter County's "Boom Boom Room." But strangely, all public agencies deny they did it. Maybe the club owner decided neighbors were tired of worrying about crime - and might attempt one themselves.

(I'm simply stunned that Sumter County has a Boom Boom Room. The one in Columbus became so notorious that Fort Benning still bars soldiers from going there - and changing names a couple of times hasn't been enough to change it.)

+ WLTZ's evening news included a report on the combined weddings of 20 Fort Benning couples -- nine days after the ceremony. Nine days later?! Did they have to wait for the wedding photos to come back from Rite-Aid?

+ Instant Message to the supporters of convicted murderer Troy Davis in Savannah: Assuming this case ever is resolved, do you plan to sell those "I Am Troy" T-shirts to college students in Alabama?

Today's main topic was the result of a blog reader's tip. To offer a story tip, advertise to our readers, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 649 (+ 16, 2.5%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

22 JUN 09: Ladies' Nights

Instant Message to all single men in Columbus: Be on your best behavior for the next several days. About three dozen of the most attractive and eligible women in Georgia are in town. And I don't think you'll find them hanging around smoky bars -- because they could be busy in front of mirrors.

I'd almost forgotten it was time for Miss Georgia week. But the weekend news showed this year's contestants at the RiverCenter for an "orientation" meeting. This seemed strange to me, because I don't think orienteering qualifies as a "talent."

Preliminary pageant rounds begin Wednesday, leading up to the crowning of our new Miss Georgia next Saturday night. That's how they like to say it, you know - "OUR new Miss Georgia." But of course, you have about as much say about that as most Iranians do about their President.

The Miss Georgia pageant is connected with Miss America. But there's no sign from the web site that Miss Georgia is borrowing some of the recent Miss America gimmicks -- such as a TV "reality show" with viewers voting on golden sashes. Why, the contestants might not even stop for breakfast at Golden Donuts.

Even though the Miss Georgia pageant is tied to Miss America, this year's event comes in the wake of the controversy involving Miss U.S.A. contestants. Miss California stood up for traditional marriage, finished second and now has lost her state title. The pageant winner was.... uh, well.... does anyone remember who she is?

One big difference between Miss America and Miss U.S.A. is that Miss America contestants openly have "platforms" they support. For Miss U.S.A. contestants, "platforms" are more likely to refer to the shoes they wear with evening gowns.

We checked the platforms of the Miss Georgia contestants Sunday night, to see if any is daring to go where Miss California-USA had to tread. The answer - no, not really. Let's face it: they're not supposed to think about becoming MRS. Georgia until after their one-year reign is over.

The closest platform to the marriage question appears to be that of Miss Presidential Pathways. Courtney Piedrahita's issue is: "Building Families; Building Futures; Giving Children Opportunity Through Adoption." That could raise questions about who should be allowed to adopt - whereupon Piedrahita will turn to her talent and play "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

The woman who becomes Miss Georgia 2009 will have a tough act to follow. Columbus resident Chasity Hardman was first runner-up at the Miss America pageant last January. After five months, she's still waiting for someone to find a hidden Facebook page showing winner Katie Stam smoking marijuana.

(Which reminds me: have you seen Miss Georgia's mother lately? As in Bishop Ann Hardman's Sunday morning "Impact" program on WLTZ? I've never seen a church pastor with long hair stretching almost to her waist -- and she isn't even preaching sermons on resisting temptation.)

BIG PREDICTION: We've come close here a couple of times, but never picked the Miss Georgia winner. Yet we remain undaunted -- and after looking over the contestants, the woman who jumps out at me is "Miss Georgia State University" Kristen Little. In fact, I wouldn't mind if she jumped out toward me anytime this week.

BLOG CORRECTION: A blog reader set us straight Sunday, about why our online searching for "Jerry Laquire" didn't turn up much. It's because we've misspelled his last name for years, and it's really Luquire. Oh dear, our apologies -- because that means we've probably mispronounced it wrong all this time as well.

A Google search for the Georgia House candidate under the name "Jerry Laquire" brought a suggested alternate last name "Lequire." But Google didn't suggest "Luquire" - nor did it indicate he might be loquacious.

Our search with a proper spelling brought better results Sunday. Jerry Luquire apparently still has a Columbus book publishing business, and actually tried his hand at blogging back in March. His latest post guessing Seth Harp would NOT run for statewide office turned out to be wrong. But then, Luquire is running for Georgia House, not End-Time Prophet.

A campaign opponent emerged for Jerry Luquire Sunday. Colin Martin announced he'll run for the soon-to-open House District 129 seat. Martin once won a "Burkard Award" for being our best blog competition [1Jan 07] -- but he's been on the losing side of so many local sales tax votes that he might avoid that issue completely.

The Ledger-Enquirer checked its records, and found both Jerry Luquire and Colin Martin have run for Columbus Council and lost. Does this mean Glenn Davis gains the title of "kingmaker" in this race? Or will he settle this over lunch with Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley?

E-MAIL UPDATE: Sunday's rant against the Columbus Police Chief provoked a response in our InBox....

Is your recent letter writer just trying to undermine Columbus?

In response to your letter writer who wrote:

"Chief Boren is a sorry Police Chief. He says that he will not tolerate Police Officers breaking the law, but yet I have a list of officers who have broken the law and have been allowed to resign WITHOUT prosecution. Some even still working on the force. You are so full of cr*p Ricky!"

It is amazing that anyone can criticize the Chief of Police with supposed unnamed lists of police officers, who have allegedly committed crimes. The writer says some CPD officers who had alledgedly committed crimes resigned without prosecution, and further states that other officers who committed crimes are still allowed to work at CPD.

Should we believe a person with such a wild claim and yet no names & crimes listed to support the claim? Shouldn't the person state some means of his knowledge or state something to validate his claims? Usually, evidence is accepted as proof of crimes. May we please ask your letter writer:

What crimes were committed, who, dates, and how do you know this?

Several people have said that they think if he cannot answer these basic questions he should not publish such accusations. If, however he has legitimate reasons to make the accusations, then he should state them, and provide proof, otherwise it makes him look like a person who wants to smear the Chief of Police without cause or reason.

You're welcome to ask -- and we'll see if this accuser wants to name names publicly. Otherwise, this may be one of those undercover police operations. Against the chief, but still undercover....

We've been given the name of one accused police officer in recent weeks -- someone who to our knowledge has NOT been arrested. But top police officials would NOT comment, when we asked about that case. Either we all should wait for the trap to be sprung - or the accusers should form a car pool for District Attorney Julia Slater's next trip to Macon.

Now let's see what other items are left over from Father's Day weekend....

+ The Muscogee County School Board discussed imposing harsher penalties for students who take cell phones to school. Huh?! Didn't this board hear about the Iowa teenager who won $50,000 as our National Texting Champion? Do we really want to restrict "blackberry" access to Callaway Gardens field trips?

+ The National Infantry Museum reported about 7,000 people attended Friday's grand opening ceremony. That means "Family Day in the Park" Saturday won the attendance race by about 3,000. Maybe if retired General Colin Powell had brought along someone to rap the national anthem....

+ The Aflac Outdoor Games concluded at South Commons. My morning run/walk took me through that area - and when I saw a couple of emptied sports drink bottles and a big can of energy drink in the parking lot, I couldn't help wondering if they were for the dogs.

(Contestants from New Zealand finished first and second in the "Timbersports" competition. For this outcome to occur in Columbus is a little embarrassing. Next year's Aflac Outdoor Games should feature "controlled burning," so Fort Benning personnel can win.)

+ The morning workout also took me past Golden Park - where a man was sleeping on the sidewalk next to the ticket window. I know the Woodbats are playing well, but I didn't know they were playing before sellout crowds.

The number of unique visitors to our blog is up more than 12.5 percent so far this year! To advertise to them, offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 633 (- 20, 3.1%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

21 JUN 09: Talking vs. Doing

Imagine if Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck stepped away from the radio microphone - and instead of criticizing the government, they actually tried to become part of it. It sounds absurd, I know. I suspect most right-wing talk show hosts are conservative because their substantial bank accounts are at risk from liberal tax plans.

But suddenly a veteran Columbus talk show host is willing to jump the moat, and enter politics. WRBL reported the other night that Jerry Luquire plans to run for a Georgia House seat that becomes vacant this week. At least we'll have a candidate who's used to giving speeches before large groups of people - only this time he'll actually see the people.

Not counting the September school sales tax vote, this is supposed to be an "off year" for Georgia elections and political races. But that changed this past week, when Rep. Vance Smith was named Georgia Transportation Commissioner. He'll surrender his House seat, because it's hard to lobby yourself for road work in your district.

Rep. Vance Smith is giving up a seat which stretches from northwest Columbus across Harris County to the LaGrange area. At first glance, it seems to be a safe Republican seat - and the candidate who puts the most pictures of President Obama next to his opponent may be most likely to win.

Jerry Luquire makes occasional appearances on WLTZ's "Rise N Shine." But long-time Columbus residents remember him as the former fill-in host of WRCG's "Talkline." That means Laquire is likely to win the endorsement of Doug Kellett - which Kellett could promote on radio stations in Charlotte and Salt Lake City, but not around here.

Jerry Luquire also hosted an evening call-in talk show on TV-16, back when it was WCGT. Even though he comes across as a right-wing conservative, his show vanished when Christian Television Network bought the station. Maybe that's why Luquire is running - he has to win a seat to get a show like Ed Harbison's "Public Agenda."

We were surprised to do a Google search for "Jerry Laquire," and find very few mentions of him. In fact, there are more links to old blog entries than anything else. Talk about laying low, to wait for the right moment to enter politics....

But we mentioned Jerry Luquire here a number of times, when he was a TV talk show host. That's because he said a number of outlandish things on the air -- things which a campaign opponent could throw against him. For instance:

+ Luquire dismissed Atlantic hurricanes as "little," several weeks before Katrina hit New Orleans [1 Jan 06]. I suppose that means he'd support bills putting skyscraper condos on Jekyll Island.

+ Luquire accused Rep. Calvin Smyre of promoting disunity, in the wake of the Kenneth Walker shooting [16 Dec 03]. Imagine the fights they could have over where to improve Veterans Parkway.

+ Luquire reportedly spent an entire evening mispronouncing the first name of U.S. House candidate Dylan Glenn [11 Aug 04]. Josh McKoon should be thankful he's already committed to a State Senate race.

BLOG UPDATE: Are retired generals allowed to cry? Jerry White choked back tears, as his long dream became reality -- the grand opening of the National Infantry Museum's centerpiece exhibits. White told WLTZ it was his "happiest moment." If only The Fife and Drum restaurant served "happy meals" to go with it.

A crowd estimated in the thousands attended the grand opening ceremony for what we've dubbed NIM-SCAPP (fixing our hyphen). The ribbon was cut by Rep. Sanford Bishop with a bayonet, while Mayor Jim Wetherington stood behind him. Of course, the mayor would have used nothing more lethal than a Taser.

Former Secretary of State and retired General Colin Powell was the guest speaker at the grand opening. He told reporters the National Infantry Museum is unique, because it honors the individual soldier. And unlike that memorial in Washington, these soldiers actually are known to somebody.

WRBL noticed an appearance at the grand opening by three "USO Liberty Bells" from New York. Why didn't someone tell me those attractive young women were coming? I might have rented a soldier's outfit for the weekend.

-> Our other blog starts with poker, then goes in directions you might not expect. Visit "On the Flop!" <--

E-MAIL UPDATE: The weekend crime report didn't get overlooked by one reader....

I think I seem to remember "someone" predicting that lowering the standards of the Police Department would lead to problems. Hmmm..who could it have been?

Chief Boren is a sorry Police Chief. He says that he will not tolerate Police Officers breaking the law, but yet I have a list of officers who have broken the law and have been allowed to resign WITHOUT prosecution. Some even still working on the force. You are so full of cr*p Ricky!

This message included an online news story about the arrest and firing of two Columbus police officers. One reportedly was flown back to Georgia from "military leave" and duty in Iraq. When Baghdad suddenly seems like a refreshing change of scenery, is that a good sign or a bad one?

One former Columbus officer is accused of changing the identification number on a stolen motorcycle. The other is accused of joining in a scheme to falsely report a different stolen motorcycle, to gain insurance money. Those bikes may hide well in traffic, but not other places....

By our count, five Columbus police officers have faced trouble with the law so far this year. One lost her job for actions before joining the force, and one apparently remains on the job after a DUI arrest. Does this mean Chief Ricky Boren is getting tough with violators? Or does it mean officers need yet another big raise, because they're more tempted than ever to break the law?

Let's see what else is making news on a busy Father's Day weekend....

+ The Saturday high in Columbus was 98 degrees F. Days like this make me wonder whatever happened to the old pop music group 98 Degrees - and if a reunion tour would require changing the name to 100 Degrees, to allow for global warming.

+ An estimated 10,000 people defied the heat to attend "Family Day in the Park" at Cooper Creek Park. But did you see on the evening news what Columbus Police brought - a portable tower, to watch over the event? I guess it's not police intimidation until they open the tower windows and throw out tear gas canisters.

+ Standard & Poor's lowered the credit rating of Synovus Financial to "junk" level. That's strange, considering a stock analyst from SunTrust raised Synovus from "neutral" to "buy" only days before. Is this some kind of stunt to make SunTrust's stock price double by mid-July?

+ Auburn University trustees voted to raise in-state tuition six percent. The money will pay for a new "health and wellness center" - as if a center on living within a budget wouldn't be more appropriate.

+ The Columbus Woodbats' Saturday night game at Golden Park was canceled, because the opposing team didn't have enough available players. I thought this was a "summer college league," where keeping up your grades didn't matter.

+ Instant Message to WHAL-AM and WEAM-AM: It's Friday night. The Woodbats are playing at home. The Lions are playing at home. And you two "sports radio" stations are offering talk shows from hundreds of miles away? Both teams probably would pay you right now, for a little nice publicity.

The number of unique visitors to our blog is up more than 12.5 percent so far this year! To advertise to them, offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 653 (- 29, 4.3%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

CORRECTION 1/11:05am

19 JUN 09: Forward March

Talk about a big and busy weekend in Columbus! A new museum officially opens during the morning. A weekend of "outdoor sports" begins in the afternoon. Yet the event likely to draw the biggest crowd will have the least amount of parking.

Let's take the events in order - beginning with today's grand opening of the National Infantry Museum. Well, the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center. Well, the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Patriot Park. Welllll.... maybe we should create a good Army acronym, and call it NIMS-CAPP.

The museum complex actually opened in March. Then retired General Jerry White grumbled attendance was low. That may explain all the promotional hype for today's grand opening. There's a special section in the newspaper, an hour-long special on TV tonight - and I'm a bit surprised there won't be a military parade down South Lumpkin Road.

The main museum is what actually opens today. Other sections have been open since March, such as the IMAX Theatre - so if you can't attend today's ceremony, the footage from WLTZ's high-definition cameras may be shown there next week for six dollars a ticket.

Project managers admitted to WLTZ Thursday the National Infantry Museum had to do its own version of a "big switch" during construction. It switched from analog video to digital - although you'd think an analog TV showing soldiers trudging through Vietnam would be much truer to the era.

(Which reminds me: did you see WRBL's live report from the museum Thursday night? It was sent over the Internet via Skype - but the video quality was so poor, I was left thinking Skype rhymes with cheapee.)

The guest speaker at the National Infantry Museum's grand opening is retired General Colin Powell. Hopefully his visit includes a drive down Colin Powell Parkway in Phenix City - where the locals can point to everything that's changed in recent years. Most of it was due to the April tornado, but still....

At my Thursday night poker game, I asked the table if anyone planned to go to the National Infantry Museum grand opening. No one seemed interested, and one man said he'd wait because today would be too crowded. It wasn't too crowded to have eight players around a poker table, but that's another matter.

The museum staff promises to have shuttles and trams available, to transport people from overflow parking lots to the grand opening ceremony. Shoppers who expect such things at Columbus Park Crossing simply will have to walk for a day.

Peter Bowden of the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau told WRBL the city is trying to promote the National Infantry Museum as a tourist attraction. It can be used for military reunions, wedding parties - and I can't wait for them to borrow an idea from Port Columbus, and hold a weekend Humvee show.

After you walk around the National Infantry Museum, you can head to South Commons for the start of the second annual Aflac Outdoor Games. I'm not sure exactly when cooking barbecue chicken became a "game," but that's beside the point....

One highlight of the Aflac Outdoor Games will be "timbersports" events, which will be recorded by ESPN and shown later in the year. One of these events is the "Hot Saw Competition" - and if it's not kept in the shade, any saw is likely to be hot this weekend.

The schedule for the Aflac Outdoor Games also includes daily demonstrations of something called "flyball." This obviously was a concession to displaced softball players, who had their league seasons disrupted.

The Aflac Outdoor Games even has a guest appearance by "Bob and Sheri" from WCGQ-FM. After all those years on the radio, it's nice to see they're finally making a public appearance in Columbus - after hiding from all those offended church pastors.

So which event is likely to draw the biggest crowd of the weekend? I'm guessing it will still be Davis Broadcasting's "Family Day in the Park" Saturday at Cooper Creek Park. Before Aflac brought in "agility dogs," this event had people calling each other "dawgs."

Family Day in the Park is so huge that businesses near Cooper Creek Park have to make special preparations for it. A few charge exorbitant parking fees, to make extra money. And one year, I noticed Shooters on Milgen Road was closed - perhaps out of fear "gangsta rappers" might show up.

True confession: I'm not familiar with the star acts scheduled for Family Day in the Park. One of them is named Twista - so I'm assuming he/she/they will be introduced by meteorologist Bruce Lee.

The other events happening in Columbus this weekend will have a hard time competing with all this. The Lions have a key indoor football game. The Woodbats are playing at Golden Park. And hopefully local dads won't mind if their children don't remember Father's Day until Monday.

But it occurred to me that city planners are missing a golden opportunity here. Shouldn't some of the weekend events be combined, to maximize attendance? For instance, have infantry soldiers chant in cadence during the log rolling contest - or have the "agility dogs" run through a shooting range for the Army marksmanship unit.

BLOG UPDATE: Hooray! Nearly a week of "scanning and rescanning" finally brought success Thursday night. My HDTV finally found WTVM's digital signal. Maybe some key component had to melt when the temperature topped 95 degrees F.

The return of WTVM means all the wandering TV stations in the area have come home to my digital set - except Georgia Public Broadcasting. Children relying on over-the-air television in Columbus South might grow up thinking the "Cookie Monster" is hiding at the Lance Foods plant.

Now that we've looked ahead to the future, let's look back on some Thursday news headlines:

+ Rep. Vance Smith of Pine Mountain was named Georgia's new transportation commissioner. Do you realize what this means? Within five years, Smith's influence could widen Interstate 185 to six lanes throughout Harris County.

+ The Ledger-Enquirer reported construction work has been suspended at the new Rob Doll Nissan location on Whittlesey Road. Doll explains the delay is due to lengthy negotiations with Nissan's financing company. If someone suggested Doll hire Bill Heard's legal team, this could be real trouble....

(Radio ads during the spring indicated the new Rob Doll Nissan would be open about now. But Thursday. the Rob Doll web site only said "soon." Regular car-buyers know this approach as the stare-down.)

+ A judge in Birmingham ruled former HealthSouth chief executive Richard Scrushy owes shareholders nearly three billion dollars, due to fraud and mismanagement. Since Scrushy still is in federal prison, shareholders may have to settle for receiving compensation in cigarette packs.

+ Instant Message to the city crew which put up a "MEN WORKING AHEAD" sign at 12^th and Veterans Parkway: I only have one word to say to you - sexist.

COMING NEXT WEEK: An election "off-year" suddenly is on, and could get wild.... and this blog marks another milestone....

The number of unique visitors to our blog is up more than 12.5 percent so far this year! To advertise to them, offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 682 (+ 22, 3.3%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

18 JUN 09: Return to the Scene of the Crime

Don't you wonder how long it had been since Ken Hodges stopped in Columbus? Given the lack of respect some local leaders have developed for him, I wouldn't be surprised if he moved from Albany to Atlanta last year via Tifton and Macon.

Ken Hodges came back to Columbus Wednesday because of his latest potential job change. The former Dougherty County District Attorney is running for Georgia Attorney General - and he's already proving to be different from the current Attorney General. Thurbert Baker wouldn't even speak for himself in TV campaign commercials.

But people with long memories know Ken Hodges carries some baggage in Columbus. Thurbert Baker appointed him as a special prosecutor over the killing of Kenneth Walker - and Hodges's presentation to a grand jury around Thanksgiving 2004 ended with no indictment. Well, check that. Civil rights leaders verbally indicted Hodges for fouling up the case.

Ken Hodges admitted to WRBL Wednesday he made a "technical mistake" before the grand jury five years ago. That was NOT having former deputy David Glisson testify under oath, about his actions which led to Kenneth Walker's death. Hodges may call it a "technical mistake," but civil rights leaders declared it a flagrant-two foul.

Ken Hodges explained he didn't put David Glisson under oath because it was "rare for law enforcement officers to go before a grand jury." I thought those officers were supposed to expose criminal hideouts, not create their own in law offices.

In a separate interview, Ken Hodges told the Ledger-Enquirer he was surprised that the Muscogee County grand jury didn't indict David Glisson for shooting Kenneth Walker. Based on last year's campaign, we now know former Sheriff Ralph Johnson was surprised as well. Someday Glisson's attorney might be willing to admit the same thing.

It wasn't mentioned during the Ken Hodges interview, but the grand jury must have heard David Glisson's statements in 2004 - and oath or not, they still didn't indict anybody. Would the two words "I do" really have changed the outcome? It doesn't seem to work with a lot of marriages....

Civil rights leaders seized on the lack of an oath to demand a second grand jury review of the Kenneth Walker case. Ken Hodges says he would have granted that request IF anyone had come forward with new evidence. Putting the dashboard video through extra-slow motion "Super Vision" from CBS Sports simply wasn't good enough.

Perhaps it's no surprise that the Ken Hodges campaign web site doesn't mention Kenneth Walker at all. But civil rights leaders probably won't be surprised by another section of the site - the one saying Hodges "believes in the broad support of law enforcement."

Ken Hodges actually said in one interview he wants to give Georgians confidence in the criminal justice system. Yet his handling of the Kenneth Walker case left large numbers of Columbus residents with exactly the opposite feeling. Their trust for law officers extends about as far as a stun gun's range.

Ken Hodges held several meetings with groups of Columbus attorneys Wednesday, undoubtedly seeking their support in next year's campaign. But I can't see Hodges doing well among Muscogee County Democrats until he's endorsed by African-American lawyers -- and you may have noticed after the Walker shooting, they barely even spoke up for Thurbert Baker.

By the way, I was stunned to read at the newspaper web site that Ken Hodges's mother lives in Harris County. So maybe he does visit Columbus more often that I realized. He probably visits very carefully, but he visits....

Let's see what else received our care and concern on Wednesday:

+ Columbus had its hottest day so far this summer, with a high of 94 degrees F. Didn't an e-mailer warn us about this several weeks ago? [22 May] We've gone from San Francisco weather to Death Valley weather - and without even breaking down on a deserted two-lane highway.

+ Cessna Aircraft announced its next round of budget cuts will mean 40 layoffs in Columbus. It also will mean the closing of a building in the Muscogee Technology Park which opened only last year. Would the new NCR employees like an extra-large lunchroom?

+ Wal-Mart executives cut a ribbon for their newly-renovated store on Buena Vista Road. The manager told WLTZ the two-million dollar makeover allows for more items to be sold - such as eggs. I didn't realize Columbus South was this deprived, and close to starvation.

(Wal-Mart managers add future expansion is possible at the Buena Vista Road store. Simply wait a couple of years, until their food prices run Winn-Dixie next door out of business.)

+ The Ledger-Enquirer reported the Springer Opera House marked "Dot Day," in honor of Dot McClure. The widow of Chuck McClure helped save the theater from destruction. So why didn't she intervene again, to rescue McClure Broadcasting's WRCG?

+ Three photographers were arrested on Tybee Island, near the filming site for Miley Cyrus's next movie. What is this, Tehran or something? How else is TMZ going to report to the world about what Cyrus eats for lunch?

+ Instant Message to my neighbor four doors down: You're kidding. You have cable TV?! I thought you put up that 13-foot-tall double-decker birdhouse in the courtyard because you couldn't pick up a couple of stations.

The number of unique visitors to our blog is up more than 12.5 percent so far this year! To advertise to them, offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 660 (+ 20, 3.1%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

17 JUN 09: Suck Up and Pay Up

Something strange and unexpected happened in Phenix City Tuesday. The temperature warmed up to 93 degrees F., but the City Council did NOT grow hotter to match....

The Phenix City Council made up with Mayor Sonny Coulter, one month after an open quarrel during a meeting. The mayor said he was sorry. Then the council voted to raise the mayor's salary. And if this was Washington, journalists would have pulled out the Latin phrase "quid pro quo."

Mayor Sonny Coulter took issue with a council vote in May to settle a legal case over land on Riverchase Drive. At the time, he said it "reeks of corruption." [20 May] Coulter's apparently now determined that odor he smelled was due to the last work on Streetscape.

Mayor Coulter explained Tuesday when he complained in May, "I spoke more from emotion than from intelligence." Why is he apologizing for that? That approach could get him on a lot of cable news talk shows.

Sonny Coulter added Phenix City voters elected him to speak with intelligence, not emotion. He may be on to something here. All political candidates should be required to take one of those online IQ tests.

The apology even extended to the Phenix City Attorney - as the Riverchase Drive land deal was settled by out-of-town lawyers, NOT him. This may explain why some people think Phenix City has several city attorneys. I guess to save gas, there's one on call every 20 miles.

From what I saw on the TV news, the Phenix City Council seemed to accept the mayor's apology. Jimmy Wetzel, who made his own outburst in May in response, said he hopes the council can put the incident behind it. Maybe in a dumpster, alongside the old police chief's badge....

(Did you notice Mayor Sonny Coulter was ready for trouble, in case the council did NOT accept his apology? He had a proclamation honoring Phenix City police officers and firefighters.)

Mayor Sonny Coulter told reporters after the meeting he'll talk no more about his emotional outburst of May. About the only person left in the area who could force him to talk about it is Calvin Floyd on "Rise N Shine."

(I'd say the Phenix City Council "kissed and made up" with the mayor - except City Clerk Charlotte Sierra was at the meeting, and any public kissing might have prompted to file another lawsuit.)

Then came the matter of the mayor's money - and the Phenix City Council vote was a bit confusing. The current mayor's salary will increase right away, to about $24,000. The next mayor's salary in 2012 will jump to $35,000. Yet I doubt Jeff Hardin will run again, because I remember him lobbying for $50,000.

Sonny Coulter told WXTX "News at Ten" the Phenix City Mayor essentially has a full-time job, whether people like it or not. He compared it to the mayors of Columbus, Eufaula and Smiths Station. OK - except the last two don't have city managers, as Phenix City does. And the Columbus mayor seems to delegate to the City Manager everything except law enforcement.

The mayor wasn't the only Coulter to come up at Tuesday's Phenix City Council. A portrait was unveiled of the late Hilda Coulter, who helped lead the Russell County Betterment Association during the "Sin City" era of the 1950s. I wonder if SHE ever apologized for saying something reeks of corruption....

-> Our other blog starts with poker, then goes in directions you might not expect. Visit "On the Flop!" <--

E-MAIL UPDATE: We tried to adjust our blog settings a bit for Tuesday's post. This message from Atlanta was the reason why....

Hi Richard,

I found your blog and wanted to subscribe or have an rss feed - I can't seem to find it. My mom used to say, "If it was a snake it would have bit you."

Please tell me so it won't bite me ;)

Thanks,

Pam

Wow - a blog subscriber! I can start the climb up, while the Ledger-Enquirer's numbers head down....

We've never done RSS feeds of this blog, because we honestly didn't know how. It may be "Real Simple Syndication" to many of you, but I was Really Stupid with Set-up.

I figured out how to switch the blog to send short feeds each day - but I don't think it worked. I mean, the bird population around my window didn't noticeably increase.

But Tuesday night we figured out a subscription alternative. Beginning today, Pam should receive our daily posts in her e-mail. If you'd like to try that, let the blog know and we'll put you on the list. We really do NOT try to bite, by the way - but perhaps sometimes we'll sting a little.

We should have told Pam of an even better idea - becoming a PAID subscriber to the blog. Check the details below about sending PayPal donations. Every little bit helps here -- especially when our poker playing is in a slump.

Now for some other quick Tuesday discoveries:

+ Columbus Council voted to commit $7.5 million in city funds to the new NCR plant. For those who were wondering, this comes to about 18,750 maximum daily ATM withdrawals. About 51 years' worth is one big investment.

+ A journalist from Argentina reported former Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel has a home somewhere in Alabama, and bases several corporations there as well. ¿Y por que no? And why not? If he flees to the U.S., Hugo Chavez would never think to look for him in Loachapoka.

+ Instant Message to the city of Eufaula: I didn't know you had a city "Pride Board." And I didn't know its job is to develop "activities increasing pride within the city." So what do you do between bass fishing tournaments?

The number of unique visitors to our blog is up more than 12.5 percent so far this year! To advertise to them, offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 640 (+ 22, 3.6%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

16 JUN 09: Out of the Hood

So as we said, Monday was National Man Day -- and no, I didn't play football. For one thing, the only "shoulder padding" I have is stuffed inside a couple of winter sport coats....

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Your blog confirmed Monday the annual Rod Hood Football Camp has been canceled for this year. Based on the timing of last year's event, it should have been held this week. I can't imagine Hood would delay the camp until the weather's cooler in January - since last season, he was busy with N.F.L. playoff games then.

The United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley has partnered with the Rod Hood Football Camp for the past four years. Lisa Deason with the United Way indicated to me this year's cancellation came from Hood's side. Considering Hood is praised online for "giving back" to the community, some would say he's jumped offside.

Lisa Deason with the United Way isn't sure why the Rod Hood Football Camp was canceled. But she speculated it might be due to the fact that the former Carver High School defensive back is changing N.F.L. teams this off-season. He signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns - which is strange, because some web sites claimed Hood wanted to play with a Super Bowl contender.

The Rod Hood Football Camp has a registered web site, but it refused to come up Sunday and Monday. Lisa Deason guessed that also might be due to Hood changing teams - but Hood's Myspace page already reflects his signing with Cleveland, complete with a photo of him training with the Browns. I don't think WiFi restrictions are quite that limited....

Rod Hood's Myspace page tells you all sorts of things about him, from his football career to his astrological sign. But the camp for children isn't mentioned at all. Maybe Hood's new idea for "giving back" to Columbus is his online mix of local hip-hop artists -- and maybe they're all former camp participants playing on junior varsity teams.

We tried calling an administrator of the Rod Hood Football Camp web site Monday, but couldn't even leave a message. A computer voice said the party on the other end was busy, and we should try again later. At least the voice didn't offer to keep dialing the number for a two-dollar fee....

We also tried to contact the Kentucky company which employs Rod Hood's agent, but had no reply Monday night. Perhaps that shouldn't come as a surprise. Sports agents are far more likely to appear when an athlete wants money, than when he's giving some away.

But what about all the young local football players? It turns out there's still a place for them. The Columbus Lions open a three-day skills camp today inside the Civic Center. Children age 6-9 have a session in the morning. Children age 10-13 have a session in the afternoon. And it seems a bit late in the season for a pro football team to have "two-a-days."

Does this discovery about the Rod Hood Football Camp seem familiar? Our blog exclusive about the disappearance of Fiesta Columbus developed the same way [1 Apr]. We wondered if a regular event was going on, only to learn it was gone. It's as if the organizers try to keep things so quiet, no one will know something's missing.

BLOG UPDATE: Speaking of missing things, my next-door neighbor reports he finally was able to tune in WTVM on his converter box Monday night. Yet I'm still unable to do it on my HDTV - so maybe this "digital transition" is like the postal service, and going one house at a time.

-> Our other blog starts with poker, then goes in directions you might not expect. Visit "On the Flop!" <--

THE BIG BLOG QUESTION on feuding funny men ended Monday, but without a winner. WKCN-FM morning host Bear O'Brian and NBC late-night host Conan O'Brian wound up in a tie (3-3). Don't you wonder what would happen if they swapped jobs for a week? It might be the first time Bear O'Brian ever worked with someone named Weinberg.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Monday's mention of National Man Day brought this comment from a woman....

It's a man'a job to kill bugs!

That seems fair to me -- but those bugs can be downright crafty and uncooperative. One day years ago, a large cockroach attached itself to my screen door. I opened the door without noticing it, and the roach dropped to the floor and hurried right by me toward the kitchen. Do they learn this trick from Jehovah's Witnesses?

We need to work on one other e-mail, so please be patient with us on that. Now that we're out of updates, let's check the Monday news highlights:

+ The Georgia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the Expedia web site owes the city of Columbus hotel/motel taxes, for rooms it sold online. This could spark the biggest economic boom to hit Smiths Station since the city was founded -- plenty of new motels, with plenty of Expedia promotion.

(WRBL interviewed the general manager of a Columbus Hampton Inn - and she sat next to a glowing fireplace. They have a fireplace lit in the middle of June?! I'd hate to see that motel's air conditioning bill.)

+ NCR showed off the site of its new Columbus ATM plant, where renovation begins today. Mayor Jim Wetherington and other local leaders symbolically pounded a hammer into a construction wall. At long last - an opportunity for the old police chief to legally practice some abuse and brutality.

+ A Hamilton Road church staged an anti-drug march in the Rose Hill neighborhood. The pastor told WXTX "News at Ten" prostitution is increasing, and dealers even sell drugs in the church alley during services. This is why more congregations need to start bowling leagues, and put those alleys to a better use.

+ The Southeastern Amateur golf tournament held a qualifying round at the Country Club of Columbus. Local champion Larry Mize served as caddy for his teenage son. Yet Robert Mize missed the cut, and WRBL reported he wouldn't take advice from his dad about putting. So much for Mize getting a shiny new golf cart when he graduates....

+ Instant Message to Troy Public Radio: Why? Well, who? Who "demanded" you replace late-night classical music in July with six nights a week of "World Café?" If I really want a World Café, I'll dine out at La Margarita.

The number of unique visitors to our blog is up more than 12.5 percent so far this year! To advertise to them, offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 618 (+ 22, 3.7%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.

15 JUN 09: Mister Guy

The countdown stands at six days until Father's Day. People thinking about Dad in Columbus have all sorts of possibilities to consider. Somehow I think you can do better than a gift certificate for a free car wash, but that's one candidate....

I've mentioned here before that Father's Day is a challenging time of year for me. Plenty of gifts for men are on sale, and I could use some of them. But I feel guilty about buying them, because I've never been a father. No one's even dragged me onto the Maury Povich Show, to take a DNA test.

But last week, WDAK's "Morning Show" revealed there's good news for single males like me. Two brothers in Indiana have declared today "National Man Day." It's a day for doing "manly things." Somehow I get the feeling a drive to Iowa to marry another man would NOT count....

The organizers of National Man Day offered several suggestions of things I should do....

+ Play football. Outside? In mid-June? Can the Columbus Lions have a "run the field" day inside the Civic Center?

+ Go hunting. I can do that without leaving home. You may remember our experiment with wine and cockroaches.

+ Watch "Rocky" movies. He was one of my favorites when I was a boy, alongside Bullwinkle J. Moose.

Lists such as this force me to consider how manly a man I really am. You see, I haven't even played touch football in 20 years. I haven't seen a feature-length movie in a theater in almost 28 years. And my idea of "hunting" these days is searching for the lowest-priced gasoline.

Many of the residents of my apartment complex are single men -- and the neighbors admittedly do manly things which put me to shame. Over the weekend, one of them decided to have a cookout after 11:00 p.m. By comparison, I settle for making Hamburger Helper on Friday night and reheating leftovers in the oven.

Some of the neighbors also act like men, when it comes to their beverages. They dump empty beer cans under a tree for the mysterious "can man" to pick up. At least, I assume he's picking them up later. Either that, or a new landfill is developing within walking distance of the Government Center.

It's almost enough to make me have a very unmanly "pity party" for myself - but then I stopped and thought a bit more. I do several manly things, which I don't think my neighbors even try. For instance, I can't persuade them to join me for Thursday night poker tournaments - as if they fear I'll take their rent money and leave them homeless.

One of my Sunday projects at home also had a manly element to it. I tried to wrestle a long stiff cord which I think is for cable TV in the living room, but which seems to double as an antenna. It's the closest thing to alligator wrestling I ever want to try....

The goal was to pick up broadcast stations better on my HDTV, and even tune in the big station which I haven't been able to watch since Friday. But the stiff cord refused to cooperate, even when I tried to set it up by the living room window. I never thought an attempt to watch golf on WRBL would bring down a set of blinds.

And then there's exercise. I'm able to jog five or six days a week at this time of year, and work up a good sweat even when the distance is poor. So why is my manly older neighbor thinner than I am, when all he does is push a lawnmower every couple of weeks?

So we wish a happy National Man Day to all guys like me. And if you're a female feeling slighted - I'm sorry, but International Women's Day has been around for decades. If your luncheon group or crochet circle didn't mention it in March, blame them.

Now let's check what made news on Sunday, if anything....

+ The Ledger-Enquirer reported a Southwest Airlines plane made a safe emergency landing at the Columbus Airport, on a flight from Chicago to Fort Myers, Florida. Hopefully the Airport Commission hurried out to wish Southwest a warm welcome, and invite the airline to arrive and depart from here much more often.

+ Newsweek magazine rated Columbus, Auburn and LaGrange High Schools among the top 1,500 public high schools in the country. But Columbus's ranking of #687 is down more than 300 positions from last year. Did THAT many students leave when Principal Susan Bryant was forced out?

+ A group of Muscogee County students began a trip to Washington, for a national history essay contest. I happen to attend church with one middle school girl, who won first place in Georgia for a paper on Blackbeard the pirate. I have NOT seen this essay, so I don't know if she discovered Blackbeard invented "Just for Men."

+ The pastor of Greater Shady Grove Baptist Church told WXTX "News at Ten" Georgia Power is donating land on Second Avenue for an expanded parking lot. We'll see if that pastor returns the favor, by holding a giveaway for room air conditioners.

The number of unique visitors to our blog is up more than 12.5 percent so far this year! To advertise to them, offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 596 (- 8, 1.3%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-09 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.