What’s a dog worth? About $77,500
I won’t bore you with another introduction about baby names, but I do want to at least say thanks to the folks who took time to provide ideas about possible names for the baby boy my Cupcake will have in December.
I found people in Warren County must have the same sense of humor because the overwhelming No. 1 name I was given for the baby is Kent. That way, they say, when it appears in the phone book it will be Clark Kent.
I also found it interesting that on the same day, two people suggested we name the baby Bryson and another person suggested Bryce. One lady suggested we name the baby Wesley and call him Wes. I found that an amazing coincidence because we had considered naming him Wes and calling him Wesley.
But that’s enough about baby names because there are important things to discuss like Thanksgiving dinner, day-after-Thanksgiving shopping, and best of all dumb criminals. This week I offer a unique twist to my dumb criminal rant by bringing you a story about dumb police officers.
Yes, I realize there are many very intelligent police officers out there and just to keep my door from getting kicked down tonight, let me say many of them work in Warren County. But there are some dumb ones in Albany, New York.
I say that after an Albany man robbed a bank and made a successful getaway, only to see video footage of himself broadcast across local news stations. The man, Darrell Lewis, 40, decided it would probably be best to turn himself in for armed robbery so he went down to police headquarters.
To his surprise, officers told Lewis they were too busy and he should come back the next day. Asked if such behavior is normal policy, spokesman Jimmy Miller would only say the incident has prompted an internal investigation.
And speaking of police foul-ups, one lawsuit was settled Thursday in the case of the Cookeville police officer who shot the family dog during a traffic stop some two years ago. Most of us probably remember the case. An innocent family was pulled over by police. A lap dog bounced out of the car. The dog was shot and killed.
The settlement became public Thursday and the family agreed to take $77,500 from the city of Cookeville for the loss of their dog. I hate to sound cold-hearted, but that’s not bad money for a dog. Let’s have a show of hands of how many people would take $77,500 for their dog.
What happened to Papa John’s?
That’s a good question. I’m not really sure what happened to Papa John’s but I do know it’s been closed for almost two weeks. And the easy-to-remember phone number, 473-9999, has been disconnected.
When I stopped by Papa John’s on Friday afternoon, the building was dark and empty. A sign on the door was dated 11-8-04 and said, “Sorry we’re closed.”
When I walked next door to Cantrell’s Marine, owner Ron Cantrell told me he saw the Papa John’s employees pack up and leave but said they didn’t say anything to him about the restaurant’s future.
The Papa John’s building is owned by the same company which operates our local KFC. Through some investigative work, I discovered that company is JRN Enterprises located in Columbia, Tenn.
According to JRN representative Susan Vandusen, JRN is checking into the status of Papa John’s. Apparently, JRN wasn’t given formal notice that Papa John’s was closing its doors. Susan asked me if I knew the last time the restaurant was open and she asked what it looked like inside.
I’m not completely sure, but I’d say Papa John’s is closed for good. It’s not a promising sign the restaurant has been closed for almost two weeks. And the fact the phone has been disconnected is almost the final nail in the coffin.
My suggestion for anyone out there with a business is to jump on that phone number. You can’t get much easier than 473-9999. The bad side is you would probably get a fair amount of pizza orders until everyone realizes Papa John’s is closed. Or you could just incorporate pizza delivery into your business.
Old Texaco station under construction
I’ve had several folks ask me about the old Texaco station that’s on the busiest corner in town. After about three weeks of digging, most people have realized there’s something going on over there.
I don’t think it’s any secret Walgreens pharmacy has coveted that location for some time. The initial problem is the land was held up in bankruptcy court by Texaco. Now that legal issues have been settled, possible environmental problems must be resolved. Four 15,000-gallon gas tanks have been removed from the site.
If environmental issues get worked out, I think we will eventually see Walgreens on that corner. That’s my opinion and keep in mind it’s not usually worth much. Also keep in mind the key word in my statement is “eventually.” These real estate transactions always seem to take a great deal of time so don’t plan on making a quick trip to Walgreens anytime soon.
Pinoy’s gives county a taste of the orient
I told you last week about Hershey Glenn’s new Asian restaurant called Pinoy’s and now that restaurant is open. If you’re looking for a restaurant with a taste like no other in this county, give Pinoy’s a try.
I stopped by Friday afternoon and Hershey was a most gracious host. She insisted that I try everything on the menu. Since I was afraid I might hurt her feelings if I didn’t comply, I ate everything she offered.
The thing that sticks in my mind more than anything else is Hershey’s food has flavor. And that’s what I’m looking for. If I was buying a TV, for example, I wouldn’t necessarily care much about flavor. But when I’m looking for a place to eat, flavor is very much a factor.
“I love to cook,” said Hershey. “But it’s a good thing I’m a nurse too.”
Hershey has the right idea about opening a new business – don’t quit your day job. She is currently director of services at NHC Homecare. She just took some vacation time to open the restaurant.
Hershey is being helped by her brothers, Alex and Nathaniel Chavez. Nathaniel has owned a restaurant before in the Philippines so he was a valuable resource.
The food is most easily compared to Chinese food because of the rice, noodles and egg rolls. But there is a distinct difference in taste. Hershey has reasonable prices and is open for lunch (11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) and dinner (4 to 7 p.m.) during the week. Pinoy’s is not open on weekends.
“We’re catering to the working crowd,” said Hershey. “It’s fun being a new business. I just hope people support us.”
Pinoy’s is located on Northgate Drive behind Pizza Hut. The phone number is 474-1042.
Tim Beavers takes over at Social Security
Anyone who has regular dealings with our local Social Security office probably realizes Jim Glenn is no longer the manager. Jim retired in the summer and Tim Beavers has been selected as his successor.
I stopped by for a brief chat with Tim on Friday and he seems like a guy on top of his game. I think he’ll do a fine job of running our local office which serves the four-county area of Warren, DeKalb, Grundy and Van Buren. The service area has 16,880 beneficiaries receiving monthly Social Security checks, and another 2,830 receiving monthly Supplemental Security Income.
Tim seems well-pleased with McMinnville and has bought a house in town. He says it’s a change from the bumper-to-bumper lifestyle he experienced while working for the Social Security regional office in downtown Atlanta.
“Depending on traffic, it was an hour to an hour and a half commute each way,” said Tim, who is married with three children, including a 3-month-old. “It’s nice to be able to work a full day here and know I’ll be home in five minutes. The people here have been great. I’ve already met more of my neighbors in two months of living here than I did in the four years I lived at my other place.”
Tim worked in the Atlanta office since 1998. His most recent job was as project manager which means he was one of the people who kept track of Social Security office space, building leases, and new buildings. He said he didn’t play a role in constructing the new Social Security office in McMinnville because he was working on a similar project in Kentucky at the time.
“From what I was doing, it’s been a little bit of an adjustment to come back to the front line and deal with customers,” said Tim. “But it’s something I enjoy and I have the luxury of a great staff here.”
Tim will also be taking over the Social Security column which appears in the business section so he should become a familiar face.
That’s all folks
Here’s wishing you and your family the biggest of feasts this Thanksgiving. Unlike the rest of the country, I won’t be shopping this Friday so give me a call with your business news at 473-2191.