Portable potty idea gets flushed
It turns out a story I had a real good time making fun of two weeks ago isn’t true at all. If you recall, I found it extremely amusing that a company would be working on a plan to make portable potties that were Internet accessible. As I pointed out, the last thing most folks want to do in one of those things is kick back and surf the Net.
Well it turns out the story was all a joke perpetrated by those pranksters at Microsoft. Now the company has issued a news release saying that product was all a hoax.
The fake product received coverage from notable sources such as The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal and the most prestigious of them all, Business Pulse.
For what it’s worth, Microsoft has given an apology and said it’s sorry for issuing a false press release.
As for other things not so smart, I bring you the story of a 42-year-old Kansas man. Keep in mind, this man is from Kansas, but he could have very well been from Warren County.
According to reports, police went to the home of Gary Owens searching for two fugitives who they believed were hiding at the address. They had no intentions of finding drugs.
When police asked Owens if they could search his house for the fugitives, he told them he had no problem with them searching his entire house, but then added “everywhere but the garage.”
Hmmm. Think Owens might have been hiding something in the garage. Police officers aren’t known far and wide for their intelligence, but in this case they were smart enough to obtain a search warrant for the garage where the found ? a meth lab.
But the real important message I wanted to deliver in this week’s column is the fact my lovely Cupcake just turned 30 last week. The great thing about this is I can make fun of her all I like, and chances are she won’t remember it in three days.
One thing I must admit is she handled the milestone fairly well. Of course at her age it isn’t healthy to get too worked up.
The years have sure gone by quickly. When I first met Cupcake, she was a young and spry 22-year-old. Now she’s still got some spunk, don’t get me wrong, but that spring in her step has been mostly replaced by a pillow on the sofa.
But I better stop before I get in too much trouble. Either that or I should hide the magnifying glass so she can’t read the paper.
Business has been brisk for Smokey Joe’s
Folks apparently couldn’t wait for Smokey Joe’s to open its new location in town. The restaurant has been open only a few days and it’s already drawing a crowd.
“This is a big change from Midway business wise,” said owner Linda Black, who has operated Smokey Joe’s in Midway for the last four years. “Midway was packed on the weekends. We’ve been doing pretty good here during the week.”
Smokey Joe’s just opened Tuesday at its new location in Chancery Plaza and there have been no shortage of customers. Apparently word of mouth has spread about Smokey Joe’s BBQ, catfish and ribs.
“We just hope people will be patient with us while we iron out the rough edges,” said Linda. “We’ve had some people who have been kept waiting for awhile and we’ve run out of some items where we thought we had enough backup and we didn’t. But we haven’t gotten any complaints about the food.”
I think most folks will be understanding. Just about every new restaurant has a few growing pains and I’m sure Linda will get everything worked out as she gets used to a much busier restaurant in McMinnville.
Another good thing about Smokey Joe’s is it’s given the workforce a little bit of a jolt with 25 employees. There is a drive-thru window for take out orders and daily lunch specials featuring a meat and three vegetables. The phone number is 474-4227.
Downtown a comfortable fit for Wayne’s Shoes & Boots
A new business has walked into the downtown area and that new business is Wayne’s Shoes & Boots. Most of us know Wayne’s from its familiar spot on Chancery Street next to Village Amoco. It’s a spot where owner Debbie Gibson did business for nine years.
So why did Wayne’s move to Main Street next to City Drug? Well, I guess I should avoid any controversy and just say Debbie decided it was time to move on.
Nahhh. Forget all that garbage about avoiding controversy. This is Business Pulse, the place where I give it to you straight.
According to Debbie, she was given the boot (and yes, there’s a pun intended) because the Thrift Store wants to expand. So instead of remaining loyal to a business that had been a faithful renter for nine years, Debbie was given 30 days to leave. She pleaded for 60 days and was given a compromise at 45.
Fortunately for Debbie, her boots were made for walking. And she walked on down to Main Street where she’s in the process of opening what looks to be a fantastic new store.
“I believe I’ll like it once I get used to it and people know where I am,” said Debbie. “It’s kind of scary to know you’ve got to move and start over again after nine years, but I think I’ll do OK.”
I think Debbie should do just fine. Her new store is twice as big as her old one and she’s got it filled with name-brand shoes and boots that she sells at discount prices. And to top it all off, her rent is cheaper too. I say getting the boot from her Village Amoco location just might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
When I stopped by the store Friday, Debbie was still unloading boxes of shoes, but that didn’t stop customers from walking in the door. William Shannon was one of those people who wandered in and he didn’t wander out until he had himself a new pair of cowboy boots.
“Now these feel great,” said William when trying on his new boots. He liked his new boots so much, he left his old ones behind.
Before I forget, I should also mention tuxedo rentals are available at Wayne’s Shoes & Boots. The rentals are through Mr. Tuxedo so you know to expect quality and tuxedos start at $45.
Debbie said her official opening won’t be till June 2, but she is selling to customers who happen to wander in. She was also open in a limited capacity yesterday to cater to the crowd of people downtown for the car show.
Horner Rausch finds a long-term location
Have you ever had one of those spells where you’ve looked all around and can’t find your glasses? Some folks might have had that same experience with Horner Rausch. The way the eye center has moved around so much, it’s been hard to find it.
But that all appears to be a thing of the past as Horner Rausch now has a new home in the building which was formerly occupied by Dimitri’s. It’s a great location on the strip and Dr. DeRosa Stephens says she’s been pleased with it so far.
“We’ve had some people come in who say they haven’t seen us since the mall,” said Dr. Stephens. “We wanted more visibility and better access and this gives us both. We plan to stay at this location for some time to come.”
When it comes to eye care, Horner Rausch can handle all your needs. The business has had several locations around town, moving to Three Star Mall in 1994, and moving to Cumberland Plaza into the spot which used to be the Chinese restaurant in 1999.
To reach Horner Rausch for an appointment or any questions, the number is 473-6865.
Dr. Chastain can now do drug testing
Dr. Bryan Chastain has recently received his certification as a medical review officer. What this basically means is he now meets federal requirements to conduct drug and alcohol testing.
One of the key ingredients to receiving certification is understanding privacy issues. Confidentiality is always a main concern any time you’re dealing with samples of urine which determine what illegal drugs a person may have in their system. This is information you have to be extremely careful to protect. It’s also important not to spill any urine on yourself.
Dr. Chastain’s certification is intended to ensure the public’s receipt of quality services and the maintenance of ethical conduct by competent professionals involved in drug and alcohol testing.
All joking aside, I’m proud of Dr. Chastain for his accomplishments. He can be reached at 473-5394.