The Blog of Columbus, Georgia

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

17 MAR 10: March Mayoral Madness

Did I miss something here -- or has the Columbus mayoral election been moved up from November? Tuesday was an active campaign day, with two joint appearances by three candidates and supporters of one accusing another. If you didn't know better, you might think advance voting begins next week.

A source in a position to know confirms to your blog Teresa Tomlinson was the overwhelming choice Tuesday, in a "straw poll" of this year's Leadership Columbus class. I'm not why they took a poll with straw - unless this session of the training was sponsored by Westville.

Three of the four announced candidates for mayor gave presentations to the Leadership Columbus class. I'm told a poll taken afterward gave Teresa Tomlinson 22 out of 28 votes. Wayne Anthony received five. And I suspect some of Zeph Baker's supporters want to review the racial background of the class.

The Leadership Columbus forum came hours after Richard Hyatt's web site discovered perhaps the first "attack ad" of the mayoral race. A group which backs Zeph Baker posted video of a Teresa Tomlinson breakfast speech from January -- with some extra commentary thrown in. I thought only right-wingers such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck did stuff like this....

The video from "The Watkins Group" takes Teresa Tomlinson to task for referring to survivors of Hurricane Katrina as "refugees." It claims the word refers to "people who are fleeing from.... attacks, or persecution." Well, yes - but it also refers to people fleeing for "refuge or safety" from anything. If my home was flooding due to a hurricane, I'd probably feel under attack anyway.

The Watkins Group also declares Teresa Tomlinson "insensitive" for closing her breakfast remarks with a short prayer. Yet the group supports Zeph Baker so much that it built his campaign web site - and he's the son of a church pastor. Is it better for his dad to be the designated campaign prayer-giver?

(People at the breakfast didn't seem that offended by what Teresa Tomlinson did. I heard plenty of amens and applause when her prayer ended. If anyone walked out yelling "hypocrite," you'd think the video would have included that.)

While Richard Hyatt's web site didn't mention it, The Watkins Group also has posted video of Zeph Baker's remarks from the January breakfast. He said it's important that "us, as citizens of this fair city, come together...." With wording like that, you might be able to figure out why Baker isn't running for the school board.

(Zeph Baker did NOT end his January remarks with a prayer -- which Teresa Tomlinson's supporters might call a sneaky ploy to win the atheist and agnostic vote.)

If Wayne Anthony said anything at the January breakfast, it hasn't been posted online. And you know - he might not object to that. If Zeph Baker and Teresa Tomlinson supporters take turns elbowing each other, Anthony could take the "high road" to victory in November. And he's actually a minister, so prayers from him are sort of expected....

Wayne Anthony, Zeph Baker and Teresa Tomlinson concluded their day-night doubleheader Tuesday night at Meritage Café, speaking to a Republican women's group. Do you think the ladies had to remind each other the mayor's race is non-partisan, so they couldn't boo anyone from the beginning?

WRBL finally gained a comment Tuesday night from the unknown fourth candidate for mayor. Randall Bergmann said Columbus has "all the talent to be just as good as anybody else" - even Atlanta. He makes a good point. As of Tuesday night, the Columbus Cottonmouths seemed assured of a playoff spot - while the Atlanta Thrashers were five points short.

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

BLOG UPDATE: Several news items actually had updates Tuesday. The biggest came from Mayor Jim Wetherington, who announced a tentative agreement to keep the Columbus G.B.I. crime lab open. This would end the "Save Our Underfunded Lab" fund-raising drive, and make the mayor SOUL Brother number one.

Mayor Wetherington revealed Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle called him Sunday night, and agreed to restore $200,000 to fund the crime lab next fiscal year. The city still would have to pay $66,000 to keep it going from April to June - which should be exactly enough time for Columbus Council to name the lab in the mayor's honor.

In a related move, Harris County commissioners voted Tuesday night to take over operations of Liberty Bell Pool. The state shut down the pool at F.D.R. State Park last summer to save money. Apparently plenty of upset children cried, "Give me Liberty or give me death."

Let's update other things, from a Tuesday which was everything news-wise that Monday was not....

+ Accused child molester John Preznkop and the accused extortioners/mothers of his two alleged victims appeared in Recorder's Court. Preznkop's attorney revealed the alleged victims also have been arrested, because this is "straight-up prostitution." Uhhhhh - I've never done this sort of thing, but I don't think you can do that while straight up.

(Columbus police told WTVM one of the teenage girls in this case posted a MySpace profile claiming she was 100 years old. John Przenkop is 43 - so shouldn't he have been a little suspicious when he met the girls? Or did the "100-year-old" keep her hair in a bun?)

+ An arson arrest was announced in the River Road Pharmacy fire. Somebody's gotta ask it - why is Fire Marshal Thomas Streeter doing all the public talking in this case, and not Fire Chief Jeff Meyer? Did Meyer get caught smoking a cigarette during a job interview again?

+ Phenix City officials declared they have no reason to share the costs of expanding the Russell County Jail. Mayor Sonny Coulter said the city once had a deal with Russell County for expansion, but that was back in 1989. Coulter ought to know, as I think he was starting his second term as mayor then.

(Phenix City officials added the city has fewer than 40 jail inmates, while the Russell County jail currently allocates 68 cells to Phenix City. Take that, skeptical residents! The city has moved more criminals out of town than you thought.)

+ Phenix City officials also announced receipt of a $30,000 grant for mapping. I'm not sure why the city needs $30,000 to do that. It's called Mapquest....

+ WTVM showed a fire safety drill at Fairfax Elementary School in east Alabama, where children crawled on the floor to escape smoke. It's easier for children in that state to keep themselves safe. They simply sing one of the college football fight songs - "Stop, Drop, Roll Alabama."

+ Columbus State University's baseball team stomped Stillman 9-3, for its 20^th win in a row. It seems like only one thing can stop the Cougars this season - but I'm not sure if the Georgia legislature can cut the budget for college sports.

+ Instant Message to the RiverCenter: About that movie you're showing tonight, "When I Find the Ocean" - is that somehow connected to Columbus Water Works and "Fix a Leak Week?"

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BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 428 (+ 20, 4.9%)

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.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

16 MAR 10: When Mom's Not Happy

After spending the bulk of Monday out of town, I came home to conclude not much was going on in Columbus. There was the usual criminal lineup -- except for a couple of suspects who were NOT shown or named. And for a change, those suspects apparently are NOT law enforcement officers....

Two Phenix City mothers are charged with attempting to extort money online. The "alleged victim" also happens to be under arrest, on charges of having sex with the mothers' children. All three are due in Recorder's Court today -- and if they're together, this is a Jerry Springer episode simply waiting to happen.

This case started with John Przenkop's arrest on charges of sex crimes against teenage girls. If that's true, that's sad and sick. But Monday brought word that the girls' mothers may have tried to get even through extortion. That has me assuming the mothers haven't watched David Letterman's talk show in recent months.

Local news media face a tough decision in this case: whether or not to name the accused mothers. So far they have not. WTVM explained that would mean revealing the names of John Przenkop's alleged victims. The producers of those "Real Housewives" shows on cable TV probably would give the mothers nicknames, and keep the cameras rolling.

What strikes me most about this case is how these unnamed mothers may have decided to go after John Przenkop on their own. If what police say is true, it shows $1,000 rewards from CrimeStoppers simply aren't good enough anymore.

If police are right, this case also indicates some mothers aren't teaching a maxim uttered by generations of parents -- two wrongs don't make a right. I think this maxim started fading away when never-cheating Bob Backlund lost the WWF world wrestling championship in 1983.

But "moms getting even" plots probably have been the stuff of TV movies for a long time. I have to say "probably" because I couldn't dare admit to watching a woman's cable channel such as Lifetime....

My late mother was never the sort of woman who would engage in this sort of extortion plot. Why, she was courteous enough to keep the original home phone line when she added a second one. But then, she never told my father about the second phone line until she told him to leave the house for a divorce.

My mom's only real "scheming" was the old-fashioned sort of thing many mothers have done over the years. It's the creation of guilt clouds over children's heads - with words such as "you never write me."

See, I told you not much happened Monday. And if the main topic wasn't proof enough, here's what little else I found:

+ A federal appeals court upheld the $20,000 in sanctions imposed by Columbus Federal Judge Clay Land against attorney Orly Taitz. Taitz now has two choices: appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court - or demand proof that Land is a U.S. citizen, qualified to serve on the bench.

+ The main architect on the Muscogee County Public Education Center told Dick McMichael's blog the building cost less than $150 per square foot to build. Critics who call McPEC "Taj Mahal II" probably still won't be satisfied. They probably also want Jordan High School students to build some of the upcoming new schools.

+ Columbus State swept a softball doubleheader from Albany State 10-5 and 9-1. WRBL's Stuart Webber claimed the games were played in "frigid conditions." So 50-degree temperatures with a north wind are frigid? In Green Bay, Wisconsin, this would be downright balmy football weather.

+ Instant Message to Dr. Ian Bond of Beacon Seminary: I noticed you're teaching continuing education classes at Columbus State on "Who Wrote the Bible: I and II." If the answer to Part I is God, why bother having Part II?

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 408 (+ 16, 4.1%)

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.

Monday, March 15, 2010

15 MAR 10: Judge Not?

Three weeks ago, the big guessing game in Columbus involved who might fill an open judgeship. Now the question is whether that position will be filled at all. Some state lawmakers apparently think the other Superior Court judges have enough wisdom by themselves.

State Senator Mitch Seabaugh says Georgia's budget is so tight, 19 Superior Court seats across the state should be eliminated. The Muscogee County position which opened with Robert Johnston's resignation would disappear - which I hope would mean he can keep the gavel as a memento.

Mitch Seabaugh explains the 14 million dollars in savings would extend beyond the 19 judges. Operating costs for secretaries and other staff members would go down as well. But some women probably would be disappointed - because paralegals would have no chance of becoming fully legal.

But as you might guess, judges across Georgia don't like this idea. In fact, the Judicial Council of Georgia told GPB the state's Superior Court level has a 70-judge shortage -- and judges simply aren't leaving reality TV shows fast enough to make up the difference.

In the meantime, candidates for Robert Johnston's judgeship have until this Friday to fill out applications for the job. I assume Georgia still does this the old-fashioned way - you know, without anyone submitting a home video or launching a petition drive on Facebook.

Published reports indicate 13 people have been nominated for Superior Court Judge. They include two names suggested to us last month [21 Feb] - attorneys Ron Mullins and Bill Rumer. This is one time when a Rumer sent to this blog actually turned out to be accurate....

We suggested in February former District Attorney Gray Conger might be interested in the judgeship. He's on the nomination list - but so is his supposed one-time love interest, Probate Judge Julia Lumpkin. Do you think both of them reviewed old episodes of "L.A. Law," to see if this sort of thing came up?

But former Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff is NOT on the list of nominees for judge. He doesn't need that sort of job, you know. A Poydasheff Court was established in his honor a few years ago....

Meanwhile, Columbus city officials have another state budget cut on their minds. City Manager Isaiah Hugley told WRBL he plans to ask 17 surrounding counties for money, to keep the state crime lab open. So the fund-raising drive is on after all -- and I suggest calling it "Save Our Underfunded Lab," or the SOUL campaign.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley complained Columbus shouldn't have to provide money for a state crime lab. That's funny - I'm about to tell some of these public television and radio pledge drives the same thing.

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

E-MAIL UPDATE: We often receive rants from readers, but this one is a bit on the emotional side. At the writer's request, we've cleaned up several spelling and grammatical errors -- except for one sentence which we couldn't figure out how to edit properly....

There may be some misspellings, for I am typing this on my cell in the dark and I have fat fingers.

For the past few years I have been volunteering around the Columbus area. It started when an individual asked me why I was walking on the grass.

I had no answer; we have a sidewalk. I guess maybe I just wanted to take the easy way, but that kills the grass and makes the community look bad.

After that I stopped walking on grass and started going the long way around. It has come to my attention as I venture out into Columbus that we are a need-to-know basis city.

Besides working with one another Monday through Friday, we really don't spend time with each other. Now I am not good at breaking down communities by name. I don't do south, west, etc.

However, I have met a lot of wonderful people who give their time, money and effort into making Columbus a safe place to live. I have often asked how they keep doing what they are doing when there is so much stacked against them.

I have cried many times in the dark, and when I speak in public my stomach aches and I just wanna yell out in anger about the things I see and the physical and mental divide we have in the city.

Sometimes people are afraid to say how they really feel for fear of losing a connection or funding, and sometimes people mistake passion for anger and they distance themselves from you.

Than those who work with you have make the choice, are you an asset or a liability?

As I type, I am crying, am crying for the people in my community who are nothing than statistics. You know what it's like having someone refer to a piece of paper to find out things about you rather asking you?

I am not a statistic; the people in my community are not statistics. We are numbers; you should close schools, cut GED programs because you got 15 instead of 25.

Why do we have base everything on numbers? Why can't we just redesign program to fit 15 instead of that 25?

What's the point of job training programs if the city is not creating jobs, or the only job you can get is low paying?

Some people take the "keep off the grass" environmental mentality to the other extreme. When I drive by them, I ask myself: "Why walk on a sidewalk when you can walk on the street?"

Organizations such as One Columbus try to bridge local dividing points, through ways such as community "dialogue groups." But Columbus also has a reputation for being too busy for "extracurricular" activities like that. If crowds won't show up for minor league baseball games, chats about race relations aren't likely to fill meeting halls.

I don't know if this will make our e-mailer feel any better about being judged like a statistic. But I promise not to consult any RPI rankings in filling out my NCAA basketball tournament bracket.

Now let's get caught up from a weekend of changing times -- or maybe time-changing....

+ A judge dismissed charges against Russell County High School football coach Rico White. He was accused of painting graffiti in a school driveway, which criticized a member of the school board. Former Superintendent Yvette Richardson may have been sneakier than anyone realized....

+ Georgia's U.S. Senators announced Columbus Airport will receive a grant of more than three million dollars. The money will upgrade "taxiway C" - and maybe then the airport will gain airline B.

+ Columbus city government held its annual day for recycling hazardous waste. This event occurred on the wrong day of the week for me - and besides, I wasn't sure if old political campaign literature counted as hazardous or not.

+ National radio host Michael Baesden made several appearances in Columbus. Baesden used to call his program "Love, Lust and Lies" - but if he was allowed to speak at a "Women's Empowerment Luncheon," one of those three had to be banned.

+ Georgia School Superintendent Kathy Cox suggested lottery ticket prices be increased 50 cents, to help fund the state education budget. You'd think those five-dollar scratch-off tickets are priced high enough already -- but maybe Cox is trying to promote good math skills.

+ About 80 people attended the regional "StarFleet" convention in Columbus. It's an organization for fans of "Star Trek" - so this group must have grown tired of meeting in Enterprise, Alabama.

+ Columbus State University's Jonathan Hall won the NCAA national championship, for "air rifle" shooting. This sounds like the perfect shooting event for me - because I can hit air far more often than a target.

+ Auburn University fired men's basketball coach Jeff Lebo. Lebo needed a miracle season to save his job - but the Will Graham religious celebration was scheduled at Beard-Eaves Coliseum a few weeks too late.

+ Georgia Tech was the only college in Georgia or Alabama selected for the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The ~~YellaFellas~~ Yellow Jackets are in the same region as my alma mater, number-one seed Kansas - and if they want to knock off Tennessee in an early round, I won't object at all.

(My older brother told me Ivy League champion Cornell is one of his "sexy upset choices." This was stunning to me - because I can't remember the last time my older brother used the word "sexy" to describe anything.)

+ Instant Message to Jan Jones: It's too bad your LaGrange ladies lost in the state semifinals. But I hereby offer a consolation prize - as you replace Ashley Powell as the "hottest" sports coach in the area. The fact that you are married and a mother of two doesn't disqualify you in the least.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 392 (- 9, 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.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

13 MAR 10: Hear the Calling

(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. And we'll take Sunday off from blogging, to get adjusted to daylight time.)

Many summer vacations ago, I spent a couple of months as a telemarketer selling portrait plans. That meant going down a printed list with phone numbers and names -- then dialing the numbers in numerical gaps. The people with "silent numbers" were far from silent, when I introduced myself.

A call I received one afternoon this week was very different. A woman introduced herself as Joanne, then said she had some Scriptures to read to me. She did NOT know who I was. I had no idea who she was. And based on some of the things she said, it seemed like a high-tech Jehovah's Witnesses visit.

Joanne told me she's nearly 80 years old, and calls people at random across Columbus to share the Bible with them. She admitted some people get angry when she calls. Perhaps those people should share the Columbus "do not call" list with everybody else.

Joanne wanted to focus on the book of Revelation, and she sounded like a Jehovah's Witness when she mentioned World War I as a key point in prophecy. Joanne even specified 38 nations were involved - a number Wikipedia doesn't quite support. But this is a woman who doesn't watch television anymore, and might be scared of calling up X-rated web pages.

Joanne then had me turn to Genesis - but somehow I don't think SHE was turning to Genesis. She stated some things about creation week which didn't match Scripture - such as stating God "removed a curtain" in the heavens, instead of making stars. At least she didn't say stars are only made in Hollywood nowadays.

Joanne also claimed God made "five oceans." Then she listed them, including the Antarctic Ocean. I noted geographers tend to agree with what I was taught in public school - that there are only four. "Maybe there are four," she admitted. If global warming melts Antarctica away, that obviously will change.

Joanne led me to other verses, and said she was willing to talk about the Bible for as long as I could listen. I stopped her after about 30 minutes -- but couldn't resist asking near the end, "Where do you go to church?"

"I don't go to church," she admitted. Which is amazing, since she quoted more verses than some TV preachers do in a weekend sermon.

Joanne explained the churches of the world are "Babylon the Great," which Jesus will oppose at His second coming. One Columbus radio station tends to agree with this, claiming the "church age" ended in 1988. Apparently God decided to leave churches in that year, instead of bringing Jesus back to rescue them.

But Hebrews 10 tells me we should not forsake "the assembling of ourselves together" as the end of the age approaches. So I attend a weekly church service, even though I admittedly don't always agree with what the pastor preaches. Of course, you can't talk back to the pastor the way you can to a random phone caller....

Joanne promised to call me back next week to talk about Nimrod - but at that point, it was time to put my foot down. I told her I study the Bible every day already, and take part in worship services and discussion groups. For this unknown woman to put me on her speed dial list would be.... well, one man who did it a few years ago spent time in a mental institution.

To be fair, there were some valid points in what Joanne said. She told me she doesn't miss television because she learns more from the Bible than from "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy." Some of us have noticed how "Jeopardy" contestants tend to avoid Bible categories at all costs....

And in describing creation, Joanne said: "God done good." To which I replied He "done VERY good" - showing I can fit in with Southerners, when the moment calls for it.

Joanne told me she has more than 100 people on a telephone list, receiving regular calls. If you'd like to join them, e-mail me and I'll give you her phone number. Since Joanne doesn't go to church, she calls this her only way of fulfilling the command to "preach the gospel." But it strikes me as a method inspired by loneliness. Why be a "prisoner of Christ Jesus" when you can be corrected in person?

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 401 (- 36, 8.2%)

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.

Friday, March 12, 2010

12 MAR 10: Crime Lab Held Hostage

A couple of Fridays ago, people held picket signs outside the Government Center -- and certainly fooled me. The demonstrators were promoting the "Heart for Haiti" fund-raising drive. But for a second, I thought the Columbus Tea Party finally had taken a stand about the Crime Prevention Director.

It might be time for another fund-raising campaign at the Government Center, after hearing what the mayor said Thursday. Jim Wetherington revealed Columbus can keep its state crime lab open beyond the end of the month - but for a price. Don't be surprised if a secluded spot on the "rails for trails" path is the drop point....

Mayor Jim Wetherington and City Manager Isaiah Hugley went to Atlanta Wednesday, to lobby for the Columbus G.B.I. crime lab. The mayor told WLTZ Thursday the lab can remain open through July, if the city comes up with $66,000. That's less than 50 cents per resident - and if the city can sneak it onto water bills, most people probably would never know.

The $66,000 figure apparently was determined during a Wednesday meeting with Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle. The mayor and city manager didn't say anything about lobbying Governor Sonny Perdue - perhaps fearing he would find state money to move the lab to Warner Robins instead.

Once the next fiscal year begins in July, Mayor Wetherington says the city would have to pay $200,000 in "administrative costs" for the G.B.I. crime lab. That cost probably was a lot lower before the C.S.I. dramas started.

While the price tag may sound large, this statement by Mayor Wetherington actually sounds like good news for crime lab supporters. It means there's a way to keep the lab operating -- and we've heard plenty of stories about people operating meth labs for much less money.

Keep in mind the city of Columbus used $7.5 million in reserve funds last summer, to build the NCR plant. Compared to that, a potential $266,000 investment in a crime lab is.... well, you know.... as microscopic as a blood sample.

Earlier in the week, Mayor Wetherington tied the G.B.I. crime lab to his pet issue of "public safety." So I won't be surprised if he suggests the city take $66,000 from the "streets and safety sales tax" to keep the lab operating through July. After all, lab technicians might stumble upon a way to fill all the Columbus potholes for a lot less money.

There's another way to keep the crime lab on Macon Road open beyond the end of March - but that's probably the "nuclear option" Mayor Wetherington doesn't want to discuss publicly. Surround the lab with those 100 new police officers, and threaten a Victoryland-style raid.

This cost-sharing idea for the Columbus crime lab reflects a tight Georgia state budget. Things are so bad that Governor Sonny Perdue called Thursday for an end to the "sales tax holiday" in early August. That might not be easy for state lawmakers to accept - especially the ones who realize it falls around President Obama's birthday.

Georgia's Governor admitted he's abandoned the idea for a "bed tax" on hospitals. It's just as well - since the most expensive Columbus hotel is probably still a better value for an overnight stay.

Let's see what else bubbled out of the test tube Thursday:

+ Columbus Fire officials announced last September's fire at River Road Pharmacy no longer is blamed on electrical problems, and now is considered arson. So why would someone want to burn down a pharmacy? If the prescription cough syrup doesn't work, you can always buy a pack of Hall's and save money.

+ The Columbus Trade Center hosted a show displaying the latest uses of robotic technology. But I noticed one area where humans still are necessary. One evening newscast showed a robot with an annoying squeak, like it badly needs oiling.

+ Alabama Attorney General Troy King announced a lengthy federal grand jury investigation of him is over. King left the impression he will NOT be indicted -- so it's apparently OK for Mississippi casinos to donate to his re-election campaign again.

+ Georgia Tech knocked out North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball tournament 62-58. Now I know WLTZ is biased in favor of North Carolina - because it refused to show the Yellowjackets win, and presented "Parks and Recreation" instead.

+ Georgia ousted Arkansas from the Southeastern Conference tournament 77-64. The SEC Network telecast spotted Bulldog Coach Mark Fox nibbling on a courtside "press row" cookie in the final minute. He truly has NOT enjoyed the sweet taste of victory much this season.

+ Instant Message to the University of Georgia: I didn't know you kept a "Bulldog 100," with fast-growing businesses operated by alumni. But when the top two businesses in Albany are law firms and one of them specializes in bankruptcies, is that really a good economic trend?

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 437 (+ 15, 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.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

11 MAR 10: Monster by the Lake?

How do you know when your city or town has hit the big time? Thirty years ago, it meant having a McDonald's. Ten years ago, it meant having a Starbucks. In 2010, it seems to take something bigger - either a "big box" store, or your own section of Craigslist.

The big time hit Eufaula Wednesday, as a new Wal-Mart SuperCenter opened. But residents shouldn't get too big an ego about this. After all, the old Wal-Mart Discount Center down the street closed the night before.

It's customary for Wal-Mart to make donations to local charities, when it opens a new store. One donation Wednesday stood out to me - $1,000 to "Main Street Eufaula." Isn't that sneaky and clever of Wal-Mart? It props up the very businesses it eventually wants to knock out....

Wal-Mart has been accused for years of tearing down "mom-and-pop" businesses. Of course, the department store chain countered such criticism with ads declaring how it "buys American" - well, before it started buying large amounts of products from China.

That sort of argument came up in Columbus five years ago, before Wal-Mart started construction on three SuperCenters [3 Mar 05]. So Wednesday's grand opening provides a nice opportunity to review what's happened since those big stores opened. First of all, I'd note that dozens of other stores remain open at Columbus Park Crossing....

The presence of a Wal-Mart SuperCenter at Columbus Park Crossing has NOT caused all the surrounding stores to fold. The locally-owned Traditions is still in business. And The Jewelers Touch moved to that area last year from Peachtree Mall - which could make skeptics wonder if one of these businesses really is selling cubic zirconia.

When the Wal-Mart on Airport Thruway became a SuperCenter, a couple of adjacent stores succumbed. Putting a Subway in the store while Blimpie was a few doors down looked like.... well, like a torpedo job....

(The other store that came to mind on Airport Thruway was Fred's. Columbus Airport only appears closed during parts of the day.)

The biggest concern about Wal-Mart SuperCenters seemed to come from Midland. Yet head down Gateway Drive and you'll find a separate strip mall next to Wal-Mart, with many of the businesses occupied. There HAS been economic loss in that part of town - but I don't think Wal-Mart is competing with Cessna and the G.B.I. Crime Lab.

The Columbus Wal-Mart SuperCenters haven't even emptied surrounding supermarkets, as the Phenix City store seemed to do in the last decade. Winn-Dixie somehow is holding on along Veterans Parkway near Columbus Park Crossing. Maybe it helps for Wal-Mart to be hiding on the other side of a hill.

(Winn-Dixie still sits on Buena Vista Road as well -- and the Wal-Mart next to it was simply upgraded last year, instead of becoming a SuperCenter. They're much closer to a peace treaty right now than Israel and the Palestinians.)

Eufaula Mayor Jay Jaxon says the new Wal-Mart SuperCenter actually will be a "strong positive" for local businesses. Some customers admitted to TV newscasts they drove to Dothan to shop at a SuperCenter. Those must be the people who don't have room in their homes for Piggly Wiggly "Plasma-palooza" TV sets.

There's one "big box" store that logically belongs in Barbour County, yet isn't there. An FLW fishing tournament opened at Lake Eufaula Wednesday -- yet Bass Pro Shops has NO store nearby?! You'd think they'd want all sorts of extra business, as frustrated pros keep trading in worms.

Now let's get caught up on other news from the last couple of days....

+ Muscogee County Sheriff John Darr said a man was caught with pure methamphetamine in his home, along with 19 fully-loaded weapons. Buck Ice isn't going to steal that guy's "ice" recipe without a fight.

+ The Columbus Mayor and City Manager lobbied the Georgia Lieutenant Governor in Atlanta, to keep a state crime lab open. After all, Columbus has about 100 new police officers now - and we can't afford to have 20 of them driving up and down Interstate 185 all the time, taking samples to Atlanta.

+ The process of expanding the Russell County Jail was put on hold, because Phenix City reportedly is having second thoughts about funding the project. Mayor Sonny Coulter wouldn't say why - but I really don't think a Jimmy Wetzel Cellblock is necessary.

+ State officials reported Columbus had a January unemployment rate of 10.4 percent. Alabama hit a 26-year high of 11.1 percent - and Victoryland staff members probably already are betting privately about how high February's rate will be. After all, they were in on the whole thing.

+ Hardaway High School was honored by the state for improving its graduation rate to more than 85 percent. Take that, you cynics! Students are learning in those portable classrooms - taking extra seconds to learn, before rushing to the main building in the rain.

+ Alabama Governor Bob Riley announced the state now has its own iPhone application. But if your iPhone also has an application for playing online casino games, it might not work....

(Please do NOT confuse this state government application with the "Alabama App" -- a way for iPhone users to select complete albums for listening. So what should a Georgia App do? Put all your other apps on furlough for an hour at a time?)

+ Roundball Night in Dixieland (tm) was disappointing for Taylor County High School. Its ladies lost in the state semifinals to Wesleyan 66-44. But at least one streak continued - another year with NO separate teams for Caucasian and African-American players.

+ The Columbus State University baseball team set a school record, with its 16^th consecutive win. Uh-oh -- I remember the last time a local sports team had a winning streak this impressive. The Riverdragons don't play basketball here anymore.

+ Instant Message to former Georgia Tech baseball star Nomar Garciaparra: Best wishes on your retirement from the game - and we hope you don't vanish completely, by changing your first name to "No More."

COMING SOON: A woman calls my phone number at random, then wants to call me every week from now on....

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 422 (+ 20, 5.0%)

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.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

10 MAR 10: Money of Waste

"You pay an annual property tax plus a monthly $14 garbage tax, WHY?" I uncovered this complaint Tuesday night, while doing Serious Spring Cleaning near my computer. Trouble is, I don't pay a property tax -- or I won't officially until my landlord gives me an itemized bill.

Your Columbus Water Works bill calls it a 14-dollar "garbage fee," as opposed to a tax. But that fee may be on the verge of going up. City officials held a second public hearing Tuesday night on raising the fee five dollars. It's only one dinner a month, you know - and these days, that dinner is becoming little more than a large fast food sandwich with fries and a soda.

The scene of Tuesday night's garbage fee hearing was Baker Middle School. That seemed like an appropriate place. A lot of debris has been removed from the neighborhood in the last couple of years - and the old Baker High School looks awfully trashy right now.

But anyway: Columbus city officials don't exactly call it a "garbage fee." They prefer to use the term "integrated waste" - and come to think of it, I can't recall any Ku Klux Klan officials demanding towns have separate landfills based on skin color.

City Manager Isaiah Hugley says Columbus garbage fees haven't gone up in five years. Well, OK - but I don't think many residents' retirement funds have gone up, either.

Columbus city budgets point out Integrated Waste is "run like a business." That area reduced spending by one million dollars last fiscal year. But expenses still exceeded garbage fees by more than $600,000 -- and I can't find any lines in the budget where money specifically was set aside for red ink.

You may remember the last time Columbus city officials held public hearings on garbage [8 Aug 08]. Two years ago, the City Manager's office supported a cut to once-a-week trash collection. You don't hear about that proposal now - so Columbus residents must be messier than we dare to admit.

Mayor Jim Wetherington didn't think much of increasing garbage fees last year [28 Jan 09]. He's apparently now convinced the economy is recovering enough to make the increase affordable. Either that, or the mayor realizes he's about to leave office and it's the City Manager's reputation on the line.

So who made the complaint I uncovered about garbage fees Tuesday night? That's a quote from a 2006 campaign flier, during Bert Coker's write-in campaign for mayor. Coker's told me he's running for school board this year - so he may define "garbage" now as the new Public Education Center.

Bert Coker's 2006 campaign flier suggested corrections officers were being paid a second income to drive Columbus garbage trucks. But city officials say the real problem in Integrated Waste involves high fuel prices -- and you'd think someone would invent a garbage truck which automatically converts trash into energy in the middle of the block.

I'm hearing nothing to indicate garbage fees will NOT go up. So in the meantime, I consider it a moral victory to get up at 7:00 a.m. on collection days to lug my bag to the curb. Putting it out earlier violates city rules - but thankfully, the 100 new police officers still haven't eliminated crime to the point that they're ticketing trash cans.

-> Poker made news in recent days from Las Vegas to Germany. We cover those items and much more at our other blog, "On the Flop!" <-

BLOG UPDATE: My guess turned out to be correct Tuesday - as Seth Brown was nominated and approved as Columbus's first Crime Prevention Director. Maybe Tracy Fox should have offered a better minister for delivering the Columbus Council invocation....

Seth Brown told reporters when he takes the Crime Prevention Director job in April, he wants to meet with "community leaders." Wasn't he before about a dozen of them Tuesday, during the Columbus Council meeting? Or is Brown planning a special potluck supper at St. Luke United Methodist Church?

Columbus Council rewarded Seth Brown's skill as a church administrator, by approving a salary at the low end of the budgeted range for Crime Prevention Director. If he wants to improve that, he can join the schedule of other city employees holding bake sales at the Government Center.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Fasten your seat belt, for a complaint about Columbus transportation....

In response to your March 7 comment about AirTran coming to Huntsville in May, and what does Huntsville have that Columbus doesn't. Answer: Airtran, and about ten other airlines that Columbus doesn't have. Our Airport Authority is useless. H**k, they haven't managed to post any Meeting Minutes since August 2009. How effective is that?? The August minutes said that United and American airlines are (were?) "very interested" in coming to Columbus. Oh Yeah? So when ARE they coming to our fair city? Columbus has to be the largest city in America that's served by only one airline! ANY competing airline that would come here with direct flights to anywhere, but Atlanta, would do great!!! But somebody at the airport needs to sell our airport and quit waiting for some airline to come here on its own! Wake up people!

We did some online checking - and Columbus does appear to be the largest one-airline city in the U.S. But look on the bright side. Moreno Valley, California has about 4,000 more people than Columbus - yet it has no airport at all.

As for last August's Airport Commission meeting: the minutes show Director Mark Oropeza was optimistic a meeting with US Airways officials in October would bring "an agreement.... on another airline coming into the airport." Maybe the airlines are haggling with each other about which one has to commit to Columbus first.

We also received "snail mail" from our anonymous Phenix City reader (although we think we know who it is)....

I was very pleased to read of the City's plans to bring back the office of Economic Development. Your efforts are not understood by all citizens. In your quest for economic development we are now under agreement or contract with

1. The Phenix City Chamber of Commerce

2. Troy University

3. The Valley Partnership

4. Downtown Redevelopment Authority

5. A private firm seeking to identify retail needs

6. Council (excursions to Prattville, Alabama etc.)

It is good to know that we are "cranking up" economic development. Furthermore the "one stop shop" is a great idea. Does this educated approach mean that should we attract prospective economic clients no other departments or agencies will be needed to provide data relating to demographics etc.?

Thanks for all you do

If that many organizations are involved in promoting Phenix City, a second Huddle House simply HAS to open there sooner or later.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 402 (+ 18, 4.7%)

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.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

9 MAR 10: Prevent Defense

After more than a year of wrangling and finger-pointing, the big decision finally should come today. Will our top leader get his way? Will the legislative branch rebel? If you didn't know better, you'd think the Columbus Crime Prevention Director was going to propose a health care reform plan....

Mayor Jim Wetherington is expected to give Columbus Council his choice for city Crime Prevention Director. The council agenda does NOT reveal which of the two finalists he prefers - but one just happens to have his pastor giving the invocation, while children from his church school lead the pledge of allegiance. Are they all there to lobby, or offer shoulders for crying?

At first mention, the finalists for Columbus Crime Prevention Director sound strange. One handles finances at a church. The other is a middle school counselor. It's almost as if both have secret superpowers, which Mayor Wetherington is sworn to keep secret.

Monday's Ledger-Enquirer revealed what could make the crime prevention finalists qualified. Seth Brown is the business administrator of St. Luke United Methodist Church and its attached school -- but he also chairs the CrimeStoppers board. Somehow I don't think you'll get a $1,000 break from giving offerings, if you give Brown anonymous tips about sermon ideas.

The other finalist for Crime Prevention Director is Tracy Fox, who currently directs the guidance counselors at Veterans Memorial Middle School. Fox is a former Columbus Police officer - so she may have waited for a deeper pool before jumping back in.

If you asked me to guess which one is the mayor's choice.... (pause while you ask the computer, pretending it's me).... I'd guess it's Seth Brown. The presence of Pastor Hal Brady and St. Luke School students on the agenda simply looks too suspicious. But then, the Crime Prevention Director isn't expected to become a detective.

The newspaper profiles offered another clue to my guess. Seth Brown is an Army veteran, who often shows up at police promotion ceremonies. Tracy Fox was a star college volleyball player, but in a sport where "kills" are rewarded.

Neither Crime Prevention Director finalist wanted to talk to the Ledger-Enquirer - which leaves a wide-open question. What sort of prevention ideas do they have in mind? Seth Brown might call on all potential criminals to go to a worship service first -- preferably with NO collection plate passed.

On the other hand, Tracy Fox might emphasize education as a crime prevention priority. For instance, why don't Muscogee County schools have an apprentice program in becoming a locksmith?

Columbus Council also will consider how much to pay the new Crime Prevention Director. The budget for the office has a salary range in the neighborhood of $52,000 to $79,000. By comparison, Superior Court judges are paid more than $100,000 - so while crime doesn't pay, preventing crime won't make you much wealthier.

BLOG UPDATE: The U.S. Education Secretary wound up visiting two Montgomery schools Monday. Arne Duncan added Martin Luther King Elementary, after first scheduling a trip to Robert E. Lee High. If Republican presidential candidates decide to visit Montgomery, they'd better be careful - because "Nixon Elementary" is named after E.D. Nixon.

Our blogging time is limited today, so we'll quickly close with some other Monday news notes....

+ Columbus enjoyed its warmest day since mid-November, with a high of 73 degrees F. Now I know spring is here - not so much because of the temperature, but because a bag of chocolate-covered raisins melted a little in the car.

+ A survey was released, warning Columbus is the ninth most likely U.S. city to have a tornado during March. Isn't this amazing? For once, Columbus is on a "top ten" list which has nothing to do with Aflac.

+ THE 5:00 p.m. news showed an advance look at the new Northside High School auditorium. This means two things for parents. School productions won't be staged at Cascade Hills Church anymore - and the productions are about to become a bit more risque.

+ The Georgia Senate voted unanimously to require witnesses be sworn in, before they give grand jury testimony. Columbus's Ed Harbison proposed this, in the wake of the Kenneth Walker investigation -- as if the added words "I will" would have changed anything else David Glisson said.

+ An Alabama judge ruled Attorney General Troy King has authority over the state anti-gambling task force, as opposed to the governor. The judge gave King two weeks to decide if he supports or opposes raids on electronic bingo halls such as Victoryland. Aw, c'mon - do you REALLY want King to take a stand on this in an election year?

+ The Columbus Lions grinded Greenville 62-6 in a pre-season indoor football game. As we all know, the regular season cannot begin until at least one area college begins spring drills.

+ Alabama's national championship football team visited the White House. But President Obama missed a golden opportunity - as he could have used Terence Cody's bulky body as yet another reason why Congress needs to approve health care reform.

+ Instant Message to Aflac: What do you think about your NASCAR driver these days? Carl Edwards admits he caused another driver to crash Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. If you stick by him, can drunks file insurance claims for giving themselves liver cancer?

SCHEDULED WEDNESDAY: Your comments on Phenix City's economy and the Columbus Airport....

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 384 (+ 15, 4.1%)

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.

Monday, March 08, 2010

8 MAR 10: Lee Way

The U.S. Education Secretary visits a Montgomery high school today. Too bad Arne Duncan isn't coming to Columbus - most of the public school teachers would come down with the "blue flu," to plead for more federal funds.

A controversy developed over the weekend about the school Education Secretary Arne Duncan is visiting. He selected Robert E. Lee High in Montgomery -- then the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus called on Duncan to cancel that location. The first wire service reports said that school would be an insult to Martin Luther King Jr. Huh? Is he supposed to start at grade schools and work up?

Later reports explained what Alvin Holmes's real objection is. He says "Montgomery Lee" (as Columbus sports reporters like to call it) opposed Dr. King and the Selma voting rights march in 1965. Holmes must have heard the local pastor I heard this weekend - who said if people don't repent, you never forgive them.

But the Education Department refused to relent Sunday. Aides to Arne Duncan said he'll go ahead and visit Montgomery Lee, for two main reasons. The high school is mostly African-American - and the current principal was two years old in 1965. Translation: get a high-pressure fire hose, to rinse off those old grudges.

Admittedly I misunderstood Alvin Holmes's complaint. I thought he might be objecting to the name of the school Arne Duncan is visiting. Montgomery has high schools named after both Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis - two famous names of the Confederacy. The high schools named after Northerners seem to be Fews, and far between.

(A junior high school in Montgomery is named after Georgia Washington. Since the school is on Georgia Washington Road, I suppose she could be an important name in local history - or it could be a 150-year back-handed slap at the first U.S. President.)

If federal officials are supposed to avoid high schools named after Confederate leaders, I wondered where the boycott might stop. Should they also avoid cities and counties with Confederate names? That would mean avoiding Lee County, until the name is changed -- or until one word is added, in honor of Auburn University alum Lee Brantley.

(That's not so far-fetched an idea. King County, Washington commissioners decided several years ago to declare the county named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, instead of a former Vice President. If only Jason Lee of Eufaula had won some Emmy Awards for "My Name is Earl....")

Thankfully, Russell County doesn't face this sort of problem. It's named after a Third Infantry Division Colonel from the War of 1812. If someone tries to tell you it's named after the athletic wear company, ask them why it hasn't inspired more of the county high school's sports teams to play better.

There's also no Confederate name issue when it comes to Muscogee County Schools. None of the schools are named for national leaders from either the North or South. And if officials would emphasize St. Elmo and Saint Mary's Road Elementary a bit more, the home-schoolers might come back.

-> Poker made news over the weekend, from Las Vegas to Germany. We cover those items and much more at our other blog, "On the Flop!" <-

BLOG UPDATE: Uh-oh - the TV stations which covered last week's Phenix City Council meeting may have their facts wrong. A blog reader alerted us to a Ledger-Enquirer article, which says last week's meeting was NOT about the Downtown Redevelopment Authority after all. If Chair J.W. Brannen hasn't filed a lawsuit yet, that could be accurate....

The newspaper report claims Phenix City Council actually is bringing back the Department of Economic Development, which was dropped by former Mayor Jeff Hardin. That means at least two new city jobs - and amazingly, Phenix City can do it with NO help from federal stimulus funds.

We called Phenix City Hall Friday afternoon to get to the bottom of this, but a message left with City Manager Wallace Hunter has not been returned. Wow, that's happened to us a lot lately. Do you think it's time to try a new mouthwash?

Let's clear up any confusion from Sunday's news....

+ The high temperature in Columbus was 62 degrees F. Is it possible that spring is finally going to arrive this week? Two weeks late for the start of my Serious Spring Cleaning?

+ Columbus Police reported someone broke into the Dollar General store on Manchester Expressway - and stole an assortment of products ranging from film and batteries to Old Spice body wash. [True/Ledger-Enquirer] He can submit his pictures to WTVM's web site, because I don't want to see them....

+ Kurt Busch won the NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Columbus race fans who had to run errands during the afternoon were left frustrated, because no local radio station carried the Performance Racing Network broadcast. When WSTH-FM changes its name back to "South 106" and then drops PRN, you get the feeling a hard-core Yankee is running the place.

+ Instant Message to anyone expecting insightful analysis of Sunday night's Academy Awards: Sorry, wrong blog. I stopped going to first-run movies 29 years ago. But I'd imagine the supporters of "Avatar" are feeling - uh, well, you know - a little blue today.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 369 (- 25, 6.3%)

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.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

7 MAR 10: Back to the Action

Only in Alabama could it happen. Only in Alabama could an anti-gambling governor lose the "moral high ground" when it comes to casinos -- when open casinos for gambling are endorsed by a minister such as Jesse Jackson.

Victoryland in Macon County is open again this weekend, after a one-month standoff between Alabama Governor Bob Riley and owner Milton McGregor. It came after Jesse Jackson of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition contacted the governor to intervene -- which apparently indicates President Obama doesn't need his help in Afghanistan or the Middle East these days.

Jesse Jackson repeated the position of State Senate candidate Johnny Ford [2 Feb] -- that a state police raid of Victoryland would resurrect bad images of Alabama. I've read some people online already make complaints along this line. Except they're upset when any news report about Sarah Palin includes clips of Tina Fey....

(Are you county sheriffs across Alabama paying attention to this? Next time you raid a suspected methamphetamine house, let's try a three-deputy limit.)

Victoryland reopened after both the Macon County Sheriff and District Attorney inspected Quincy's 777 casino. Both declared the electronic bingo games are legal. Anti-gambling task force commander John Tyson remains skeptical -- but for the moment, he's allowing this bingo a "free space."

But Victoryland owner Milton McGregor blinked a little, before reopening the complex. He gave up his liquor license -- so visitors now have two words to spell: B-I-N-G-O and B-Y-O-B.

Milton McGregor told reporters the standoff at Victoryland seems un-American. He said it's something he thought might happen "60 years ago in Nazi Germany...." This is why the Georgia Lottery is marginally better. It's an "education lottery," while McGregor may not realize the Nazis had been defeated for years by 1950.

Yet we must remember Milton McGregor forced this standoff in the first place. He shut down greyhound racing and the Oasis Hotel, when the state only wanted to investigate his electronic bingo games. A large number of people was laid off unnecessarily - as if McGregor wanted state unemployment checks to bankrupt the overtime budget for Alabama state troopers.

Victoryland has yet to return to full operations. Greyhound racing will not resume until 19 March. And the Quincy's 777 web site still offered Valentine's Day specials Saturday night -- which apparently means we've found one place where Internet work is NOT outsourced to Asia.

(The web site shows someone from Phenix City named David W. recently won more than $74,000. If this man kindly would identify himself, the Phenix City Council might present him a resolution of commendation.)

So really achieved victory, in this one-month Victoryland staredown? It appears Milton McGregor did, since his casino remains open with little changed. But then again, a lack of alcohol might help players figure out the machines better to win jackpots.

Another hidden winner in all this is Johnny Ford. He's ~~exploited~~ used the Victoryland debate to promote his State Senate campaign. It's just as well incumbent Myron Penn is leaving office. He's been as quiet on this issue as someone FROM Penn - as in Pennsylvania.

Victoryland was one of several topics we brought up during a stand-up routine Saturday night, during a church "fun show." We did it in the style of a newscast, as the late Paul Harvey might have presented it. And yes, we included a commercial for Wal-Mart....

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

THE BIG BLOG QUESTION on the Georgia state bird closed Saturday night - and it was a triumph for tradition. Six of the seven voters in our tragically non-scientific survey wanted to keep the current brown thrasher. Only one liked our idea of the Aflac duck. And none supported changing to a chicken - so some birds are simply too tasty to make official.

Let's see what else is happening, on a weekend when spring finally seems to be arriving....

+ Richard Hyatt's web site reported Skip Henderson has decided NOT to run for Columbus Mayor. Supporters who were ready to print "Skip - This One" campaign signs still can do it, but with a small adjustment.

+ Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James talked to a government class at Opelika High School. And then they point fingers at President Obama for indoctrinating school children?! Mr. Obama's next appearance on a ballot will come in two years, not three months.

+ The country music group Rascal Flatts filled the Columbus Civic Center for a concert. The opening act was Darius Rucker - who had to be surprised by how many more people can attend concerts in Columbus when they're not on Sundays.

+ AirTran Airways announced it will begin flights to and from Huntsville in May. Aw, c'mon - what does Huntsville have that Columbus doesn't? Other than a U.S. Senator who can threaten to hold up all sorts of projects?

+ Roundball Saturday Night (tm) saw LaGrange High School advance both its teams to the state semifinals, with wins at the Lumpkin Center. The LaGrange girls could clash with Kendrick in the finals - yet so far, the school superintendents are NOT demanding that game be played at Callaway Gardens to save money.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 394 (- 32, 7.5%)

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.

Friday, March 05, 2010

5 MAR 10: Cut-Down Day

People who spend all their time in one neighborhood sometimes forget how big Columbus is. From where I live, U.S. 80 at the Talbot County line is a 30-minute drive away - and Upatoi seems like a community which should be a suburb of Geneva or Talbotton.

The Muscogee County Election Board ignored complaints about longer drives Thursday, and voted 3-1 to consolidate voting precincts. The current 48 should turn into 28 by the July primary. And let's see -- if past elections are any indication, wouldn't only the top four advance to a runoff?

The NAACP mounted a protest of the precinct consolidation over the last month. About the only thing that seemed to accomplish was a promotion for Columbus chapter President Marcus Hunter. WXTX "News at Ten" showed his title on the air as City Manager.

Marcus Hunter argues the reduction of 20 precincts will cause a hardship for African-American and Hispanic voters. Statistics indeed show people in those ethnic communities are less likely to own cars -- yet a large majority of them do. This year's elections could start a true grass-roots movement for car pooling.

But the Muscogee County Elections Board offered a table of how far voters would have to travel, under the consolidation. In only one case is the distance more than three miles. Do some ethnic communities really own cars so old that they can't travel that far?

Jerry Laquire with the Georgia Christian Coalition mentioned another voting option to WTVM. He said people can vote by mail within 45 days of an election. Really? Even when a runoff falls three weeks after a primary election? Then voters would feel pressured into spending extra money on next-day delivery.

(Laquire apparently was referring to the absentee voting procedure -- but the 45-day rule seems to apply only to military and overseas voting. Precinct consolidation probably already occurred in Iraq, if soldiers are in double-bunk beds.)

Marcus Hunter also complained the Elections Board made up its mind on consolidation, even before the recent forum at the Columbus Public Library. That's strange -- I don't recall the NAACP complaining about members of Congress doing that, before last summer's town hall meetings on health care reform.

I suspect Marcus Hunter and civil rights advocates are most irked by the fact that a majority of the Muscogee County Elections Board is African-American. Executive Director Nancy Boren added one board member also belongs to the NAACP -- but of course, that member's car might have broken down driving to chapter meetings.

The Elections Board claims consolidation will save Columbus city government more than $100,000 - and long lines will be prevented by "express polls." We're waiting to see if that means you're limited to voting for 12, 15 or 20 candidates.

It's now up to the Justice Department to approve the precinct consolidation. Georgia NAACP President Ed DuBose told WRBL he'll contact Washington today to lobby against it. Considering what's happened with "voter ID" in Georgia, DuBose might as well start at the top next time.

I'm doing an unusual "stand-up" comedy act Saturday, and you're invited to see it! A potluck dinner and "fun show" will follow a worship service at United Church of God-Columbus. It all starts at 3:30 p.m. ET at the Woodmen of the World hall on Milgen Road, next door to Lumber Liquidators.

BLOG UPDATE: We may not know why the president of a TSYS branch in Arizona left, but we now know who's replacing him. Mark Pyke is the new president of TSYS Acquiring Solutions - moving from a similar title at a branch of Bank of America. So we can say Pyke hasn't quite peaked yet.

But lo and behold, TSYS executives in Columbus may have something new to worry about....

So if you were an investor in TSYS, then somebody wants to hear from you . . . now that's a new bird, it's called a "whistle blower" .
. . rgds/veeresh Malik

(your New Delhi correspondent.)

Malik refers to an investigation launched this week by an Atlanta law firm. It wants to know if TSYS violated federal securities law, with some statements it made between July of last year and January. Maybe that's why TSYS spokespersons still haven't returned our calls -- they might say something which puts them in prison.

We left a message with Holzer Holzer and Fistel in Atlanta about this investigation, but there was no response Thursday night. This sounds like an effort to gather angry shareholders for a class-action lawsuit against TSYS -- a bit like those TV commercials by law firms seeking users of Vioxx. But shouldn't TSYS critics call Ken Nugent, since he's right there downtown?

TSYS stock took a three-dollar dive early this year - and CNBC spotted a large amount of trading in the stock on one day in late January. But that might not necessarily mean something illegal or irregular occurred. Investors might have decided Aflac has a better-looking logo.

We hope our New Delhi correspondent provides cricket updates in the weeks ahead. Now let's quickly check other items from the last couple of days....

+ AT&T asked the Georgia Public Service Commission for permission to stop distributing phone books in Columbus, unless people ask for one. So it's "your world, delivered" - simply not on paper.

(AT&T explains this move would save the company money. But what about the schools which earn money every year from recycling old phone books? Moms and dads can't prepare cakes for bake sales all the time, you know....)

+ A new report found Columbus now is within federal air quality standards. Yeah, right - release this report just in time for spring pollen season.

+ Columbus State University students staged a "sit-in" at the library, to protest possible cuts in college spending. Well, it was supposed to be a sit-in - but for some reason, all the TV coverage showed people standing while they signed petitions.

(One C.S.U. student complained there's a lot of campus apathy about issues such as the college budget. See what happens when the men's basketball program has losing seasons?)

+ Meanwhile, GPB Radio reported the state budget crunch could end funding for 4-H programs. You'd think lawmakers could compromise a little here - maybe reducing it to 2-H.

+ WRBL reported the price of Florida tomatoes has more than doubled for some downtown Columbus restaurants. You'd think they could beat that - oops, I mean beet that, as in a substitute.

+ Georgia Congressman Nathan Deal postponed his resignation from next Monday to the end of March. He apparently doesn't want to miss an upcoming House vote on health care reform - so he can stick Democrats in Washington with one last raw Deal.

+ The Birmingham News revealed tax returns filed by Larry Langford show the former mayor went to Victoryland and another Alabama electronic bingo hall -- and won 555 jackpots over three years. If Langford is that lucky, why didn't he win at his federal corruption trial?

(On one day at Victoryland in 2008, Langford hit the jackpot 36 times and won more than $96,000. Now I'm starting to understand why Milton McGregor shut down the greyhound racing along with Quincy's 777 - you simply can't get rich quick betting on dogs.)

+ Roundball Night in Dixieland (tm) brought the final roundball night at Beard-Eaves Coliseum in Auburn.. The Tigers topped Mississippi State 89-80 - yet the highlights showed empty seats. So come November, the new Auburn Arena may have empty seats which shine even more on television.

+ Instant Message to Troy Public Radio's Ralph Black: What do you mean, Thursday was a "slow news day?" And why would you say that in the middle of a newscast? Maybe you should go outside and actually find some news, instead of repeating what the Associated Press sends you.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 426 (+ 35, 6.6%)

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.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

3 MAR 10: Two-Month Time Warp

An east Alabama blogger complained awhile back that Phenix City voters seem to keep putting the same people in pubic office, to keep fouling things up. I responded by disagreeing with that view. It's really two different groups of people -- and they're being elected back and forth every few years.

An example of that "shift change" occurred at Tuesday's Phenix City Council meeting. TV reports claimed the council voted to bring back the Downtown Redevelopment Authority board. Which was strange - because I didn't recall the city ever doing away with it. And if anyone missed it, certainly our mysterious Phenix City snail-mailer would have complained to us.

The Ledger-Enquirer interviewed the chair of the Phenix City Downtown Redevelopment Authority only ten months ago [20 May 09]. And in February of last year, Mayor Sonny Coulter repaid a $25,000 loan from the authority for demolishing part of the Riverview Apartments. Repaying a loan only to put the loaner out of business sounds like that stagecoach robbery in the "Yella Fella" commercials.

A deeper online search Tuesday night explained what's really going on. Four Phenix City Councilors voted last month to put themselves on the Downtown Redevelopment Authority board, expanding it from five members to nine. Board chair J.W. Brannen told the Ledger-Enquirer he didn't think that was legal. For one thing, who's going to pay for a bigger conference table?

J.W. Brannen noted at the time his term as chair of the board expired in February. He predicted he would be replaced. Tuesday's Phenix City Council vote left that decision to the city manager - and the school superintendent probably would suggest Brannen has a tape rolling, if Wallace Hunter calls him at home.

There was speculation in January the Downtown Redevelopment Authority board might be dissolved. While I didn't attend Tuesday's meeting, that certainly appears to be what's happened - and the Council intervention two months ago might be called a D.R.A.-run.

WTVM reported the Phenix City Council vote was unanimous, and Mayor Sonny Coulter claimed it will "put everything back the way it was before." Yet WLTZ reported the mayor did NOT vote to reinstate the D.R.A. Board -- so which "before" do we mean here? Late last year? Late January of this year? Or way back when Jeff Hardin was mayor -- around 2008?

So the Phenix City Council essentially put a board out of business, and now is resurrecting it. This is what happens when Phenix City has no nightclubs regularly booking magic acts....

The Phenix City Council approved two "volunteer" members for the new D.R.A. Board Tuesday. Three others are upcoming -- and we're left to wonder if any Councilors will volunteer themselves. That certainly would ease Jimmy Wetzel's concern that Councilors don't hang around City Hall enough.

(I know a Columbus church which went through something like this several years ago. The Regional Pastor shut down the congregation due to low membership and other issues, then reorganized it weeks later. Several people decided NOT to roll the dice on the second coming, and moved to another congregation.)

While some might consider this move a coup, others might argue Phenix City needs a new Downtown Redevelopment Authority Board - because downtown isn't redeveloping very much. It's now more than nine months since the Broad Street StreetScape work ended. Yet the only new business seems to be another restaurant in an old building.

There's still a master plan posted online for redeveloping the Phenix City riverfront. It was proposed by a nonprofit group called "East Alabama Riverfront Development." Chair Sammy Howard happened to serve on the old D.R.A. Board -- so it's a good thing the master plans didn't include a statue of him.

Tuesday's Phenix City Council meeting also included an award presentation to firefighters, for collecting money to fight muscular dystrophy. They were given the "Golden Axe Award" -- which sounds like something Columbus State University also could earn, if it cuts spending in the right places.

Speaking of which, that's where our review of other Tuesday news begins:

+ The Ledger-Enquirer reported C.S.U. submitted a budget-cutting proposal which includes the firing of tenured professors. Today's career expo on campus is coming at exactly the right time....

+ The next step in base realignment was announced, as the U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Museum began moving vehicles from Fort Knox to Fort Benning. A new building is planned for it next to the National Infantry Museum - and they may not stop adding museums on South Lumpkin Road until Denny's comes back.

(The new museum proved to be a problem for two TV stations. Journalists on WLTZ and WTVM kept pronouncing it the "Calvary Museum" - as in the name of a church. But some congregations can seem like museums, because they're so quiet during a service.)

+ TSYS announced it's now handling credit card processing for First National Bank of Omaha, Nebraska. Hmmmm - that explains why our blog records show we had several visits from Omaha the other day. In fact, the count from there almost matched the number from India.

+ Sam's Club confessed to WTVM it made a mistake last weekend, and put diesel fuel in its premium unleaded gas tanks. Now Cadillac drivers REALLY know what it's like to drive a BMW....

+ The Columbus Cottonmouths hosted "Snake Eyes" casino night at the Civic Center, raising money for the Children's Miracle Network. No, your poker-playing blogger did NOT attend. If I won too much money, the hockey players might have roughed me up.

+ Spencer High School's second-round boys' basketball playoff game was postponed until tonight. The reason was snow, which fell on opposing school Blessed Trinity in Roswell. Apparently no one at that school watched Olympic curling, to learn how to brush the snow away.

+ The Columbus State women's basketball team lost to Clayton State 65-64 in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference tournament. Cougar Coach Jonathan Norton now has a big decision to make - can he coach the men's team next season as well?

+ Instant Message to the Daniel Appliance driver I spotted on Wynnton Road the other day: I can understand why you got out at a traffic light, and closed the small door on the right side. But why didn't you close the tailgate while you were at it? Isn't a washer or dryer more likely to slide out there?

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: Thursday will need to be an off day for us. We plan to be back Friday. And daily blogging may diminish over the next few weeks, due to our annual Serious Spring Cleaning and other tasks.)

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 391 (+ 14, 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.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

2 MAR 10: Deal Them In

There was little doubt in Columbus Monday that "March Madness" has arrived. Lobbying for number-one seeds took place in two different locations. And for a change, it did NOT come from the men's basketball locker room at Columbus State University.

Two candidates for Georgia Governor visited Columbus. I'm not sure who showed up first, but Nathan Deal made one of those "fly-around" tours which took him to airports around the state. Some candidates need frequent flier miles more than others....

Rep. Nathan Deal announced he'll resign from Congress next Monday, so he can "dedicate my energies" to running for Governor. Being dedicated to energy work doesn't seem to be working in Washington - not with gas prices around $2.60 a gallon.

But uh-oh - the Atlanta Journal-Constitution remembered a statement Nathan Deal issued last December, after Karen Handel resigned as Georgia Secretary of State. It said the Congressman "has a clear record of completing his terms." Now Deal can claim to be the record-breaking candidate from northeast Georgia.

(Another Atlanta newspaper article noted Deal has missed about half the recorded votes in the U.S. House this year. And we certainly don't want a candidate for Governor to be distracted by something trivial, like health care reform.)

Nathan Deal explained he needs to campaign full-time for Governor because "this is an important election." Excuse me for asking this - but are there any UN-important elections? Well, maybe if you're State Rep. Carolyn Hugley and you've been unopposed for years....

A Columbus reporter put Nathan Deal on the defensive - apparently bringing up reports that he was under an ethics investigation in Washington. Deal denied that had anything to do with his resignation. And the fact that he traveled around the state shows Deal is in better health than Judge Robert Johnston.

Until I searched online Monday night, I forgot Rep. Nathan Deal is a party-switcher. He was elected to Congress as a Democrat, then switched to the Republicans. So Deal is a little like Governor Sonny Perdue - and we'd know how much he matches Perdue, if someone would ask about the state flag.

Nathan Deal's resignation comes only days after fellow Georgia Rep. John Linder revealed he'll retire at the end of his current term. And both these men are Republicans - which makes you wonder if the "Tea Party" has plans to dump all the old bags.

The other candidate for Georgia Governor to visit Columbus Monday was Democrat David Poythress. He's held several state offices, including "Adjutant General." If Kaffie Sledge had a political title in Columbus, some would label her Agitate General.

David Poythress is promising NOT to take any salary as Governor until Georgia's unemployment rate drops below seven percent. This bold promise led me to ask two obvious questions. Who's the person in charge of his investments -- and can he adjust mine?

David Poythress says he wants to open bidding on state contracts to smaller businesses, so the work doesn't go to out-of-state companies. Yet at the same time, he claimed he wants to open Georgia to the world. So maybe Poythress plans to recommend changes in the University of Georgia football schedule.

In other political news: baseball pitcher John Smoltz said Monday he does NOT plans to run for a Georgia Congressional seat. The only "hardball" he wants to play this spring does NOT involve Chris Matthews....

And in Columbus, Richard Hyatt's web site reports realtor Shep Mullin will run for the open at-large Columbus Council seat. He probably won't need a campaign headquarters - because any vacant home on the market will do.

E-MAIL UPDATE: We posted a new BIG BLOG QUESTION Monday about a possible change in the Georgia state bird. That inspired another local blogger to write us....

I offered my suggestions (on my blog, and on IMAO) and got some comments about this over the weekend:...

Nobody ... including me ... thought of the Aflac duck. I am so embarrassed.

Basil

There, there -- you're obviously a target of those new commercials encouraging you to "know quack."

Voting remains open on our question -- and now we open the floor for other Monday business:

+ Columbus received late-night rain, as forecasters issued a winter storm warning for areas north of LaGrange. WTVM's Kurt Schmitz discussed our "only chance of seeing any flakes around here...." - but he stopped short of recommending viewers visit Fourth Street Baptist Church.

+ WLTZ showed the annual "Rosa Parks Women of Courage" breakfast in Columbus. It appeared two of this year's awards went to Assistant City Manager Lisa Goodwin and Elections Board Director Nancy Boren. But no one was named - and you'd think the reporter would have had the courage to ask who won.

+ A Sergeant First Class from Camp Bullock, Texas was named the winner of Fort Benning's U.S. Army Marksmanship contest. If the organizers on post are thinking, they'll offer the champion two fitting prizes -- an application to join the Columbus Police, and a gift card from Target.

+ The Troup County School Board voted to reduce the next school year by 15 days. To stay within current state law, each school day will be longer - with grade-school children spending 45 extra minutes in class. This will provide parents a great "Be There" moment, teaching children how to set DVR's to the Cartoon Network.

+ GPB Radio reported Georgia's University System could balance its budget if all colleges increased their tuition 77 percent. If that actually happens, OPEC will have new meaning - for Outrageously Priced Expensive Colleges.

+ The Macon County, Alabama District Attorney announced he's inspected all the electronic bingo games at Victoryland, and all of them seem to be legal. As if John Tyson's Anti-Gambling Task Force was consulting with him in the first place?!

+ The Columbus Lions opened training camp at McClung Memorial Stadium. The indoor football team has to practice outside the Civic Center for a few days - because if the Cottonmouths held their "Snake Eyes" casino night at the Trade Center, Alabama state agents might sneak across the state line and arrest players.

+ Instant Message to WLTZ: Now I know your news has a liberal bias. Monday night's "11 @ 11" showed the same video clip of President Obama three times - so I guess he's to blame for Troup County shortening the next school year.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 377 (+ 21, 5.9%)

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.