Kindergarten can be traumatic for children
|
I?m happy for the fact he?s growing up before my very eyes and becoming, for lack of better words, an independent little monster. And I?m sad because he?s growing up so fast and needing dear old daddy less and less.
But even though he?s becoming a big boy, I think Benjamin was still a little emotional about his first day of kindergarten last week. He had to fight back tears as he left the house, but fortunately I was the strong one and I was able to console him to minimize the trauma.
As for news of the odd, strange and curious nature, the man who was once officially named ?Kentucky fried cruelty.com? has decided to reclaim his birth name. Animal rights activist Christopher Garnett has decided he?s tired of being known as a PETA Web site.
The woman formerly known as ?Go veg.com? has made a similar decision. Karin Robertson lasted over three years with that name in an effort to get people to focus on animal rights and vegetarianism.
Back in March 2003, Robertson said she thought it would be a ?lighthearted way to get the message out.? It worked: Web traffic to the site shot up, as did requests for vegetarian starter kits.
However the novelty wore off, especially having the name Go veg.com as the official name on your driver?s license. Somehow I can understand how that would get old. It would be similar to changing my name to BusinessPulse.com. Sure, it would start out as a great conversation piece, but it would be weird to be called Mr. Pulse.
And just when you thought the federal government had trimmed all the possible fat from the U.S. budget, in comes a report from The Washington Post. According to this fine newspaper, the government has not been spending our tax dollars wisely. I know you?re stunned by this revelation.
The newspaper reported last month that the federal agriculture subsidy program ? through lax enforcement ? has paid $1.3 billion to people who don?t farm at all. What that means to me is I should be applying for agriculture subsidies for the farm I don?t own. When the agriculture agent calls to check on the status of my farm, I could have the kids ?moo? in the background. It just might work.
For today?s final tidbit I want to address the problem of life-long criminals. I know reading the court dockets that are published in the Standard, I see the same names again and again. Sometimes I wonder how people can be arrested seven or eight times and be released after serving 10 days.
Well our problems are nothing compared to what the folks in Lincoln, Neb., face. Last Sunday, Kevin Holder was arrested for burglary ? his 226th arrest.
Said police chief Tom Casady in an understatement, ?He?s very well known to police officers.?
But if you can believe this, Holder?s list of arrests doesn?t come close to setting a record for Lincoln-Lancaster County. He?s No. 40 on the list, according to police spokeswoman Katherine Finnell.
A number of people have more than 500 arrests in Lincoln. The record is held by Edward Rooks, who died in 2004, with 652 arrests. I couldn?t find an age for Rooks at the time of his death but if he died at age 65, he would have been arrested 10 times a year for every year of his life. That?s almost once a month.
More jobs
are coming
I was moaning and groaning last week about not being able to announce any new manufacturing jobs entering the community. It appears I will be able to break my streak in the near future.
I?ve heard a Warren County company is on the verge of expanding and adding about 30 new jobs. I talked to the business owner Thursday and he confirmed that was in fact what is happening.
However, the owner didn?t want me to make the announcement just yet. He said he would be more than ready in about three or four weeks., but I?m just so excited I had to say something now. I couldn?t wait.
Store reopens
at Depot Bottom
Hubert Hillis Grocery will always have a special place in Warren County history. Sandy Young and her husband, Butch, are looking to make some history of their own by opening their new business at the fabled location known far and wide as one of the best places to hear gossip.
?I tell folks we love to talk too,? said Sandy, who opened Depot Bottom Old Country Store on Monday. ?I want everyone to come and feel welcome here.?
The store motto is ?If you?re looking for fancy, it ain?t here.? The food might not be fancy, but it sure is tasty. From hamburgers to beans and cornbread to sandwiches, the menu offers a little of everything ? even homemade desserts.
?I saw that the store was for sale in the home book and just fell in love with it,? said Sandy. ?I know it?s not a gold mine. I don?t expect it to be a gold mine. But I like it and Barbara and I love working together.?
Sandy is referring to her friend and co-worker Barbara Raymond, who has provided her share of elbow grease to get the place ready. They have cleaned and cleaned to get the store looking sharp.
Determining what items to sell and offer on the menu is a current work in progress. Sandy said her menu and inventory will continue to fluctuate until she determines what her customers want.
?I don?t want to stock Tide if no one comes in here to buy detergent to wash their clothes,? said Sandy. ?I want to find out what the people who come through here want on the shelves.?
She says the menu will evolve to offer soup and chili in the winter and she will have plate lunches in the near future. One customer is already well satisfied with the cooking.
?The have the best hamburgers and only charge $2.10,? said Johnnie Davis, who stopped by the store to order food several times last week.
Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is 507-3366.
Stewart Pharmacy
is giving away a car
For 40 years, Stewart Pharmacy has provided medicine to make you feel better. Now owner Nestor Stewart has figured out a way to make one person feel really good ? by giving away a new car.
?That was a pretty good wad to shell out,? said Nestor referring to the new 2006 Chevrolet Aveo he is giving away with a sticker price of $12,840. ?It was a tough decision to make.?
But in the end, Nestor figured the car giveaway would make his 40th anniversary celebration extra special.
?The people have been so nice to us over the years and helped us build one of the best pharmacies in all of Tennessee,? said Nestor. ?This is a way to say thank you.?
While not the most roomy vehicle, the Aveo gets 24 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway, according to its sticker. So far response has been tremendous as the pharmacy started with 12,000 tickets and has already ordered 12,000 more.
You must be present to win the car during the drawing Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. With so many tickets handed out already, I wonder where all those people are going to park. I realize Plaza Shopping Center is a big place, but if just a fraction of those people show up ? say 3,000 ? it will be a mighty tight parking squeeze.
I?d like to take just a moment to congratulate Nestor Stewart and his family for 40 years of business. People tend to forget Stewart Pharmacy started out as a small business back on Aug. 1, 1966 and has grown into what it is today through hard work and satisfied customers. So many new businesses that start out today, and fail, forget it takes those two key elements.
Mall loses
another store
It is with sadness that I have to report Brooke Jewelers at Three Star Mall has gone out of business. The store lasted one year at the mall, opening in August, 2005 and closing this past Wednesday.
I talked to store owner Joey McNeal on Friday and he said there were no elaborate reasons for closing the store. There simply weren?t enough jewelry sales to stay open, he said.
The store in McMinnville was the first Brooke Jewelers store ever opened. Joey has since opened three other stores and says business at his other locations is fine. He spent Wednesday transferring the merchandise at Three Star Mall to his other locations.
The closing of Brooke Jewelers magnifies a problem the mall has endured really since the closing of Kmart. There is no major anchor on that side of the mall to attract traffic.
With JCPenney?s and Goody?s grouped together, that side of the mall is stout. But the giant black hole where Kmart used to be hurts all the businesses down there.
Since I?m on the topic, several folks have asked me about the status of Roses since I reported officials from that company have toured the mall. To be completely candid, I?m not sure of the status.
The last correspondence I had with Roses corporate office said they had received an offer to locate at Three Star Mall and were currently evaluating the situation. Since then, e-mails I have sent to Roses officials have not received a reply, and a voice mail message I left with the mall headquarters in Kentucky was not returned.
Precision Auto Machine
cranks up at new location
Since the early stages of construction have begun on the new four-lane to Woodbury, many Newtown businesses have been forced to flee the area. Precision Auto Machine is one of those businesses, having left Newtown and moved to 2522 S. Chancery Street.
While moving so much large equipment was difficult, it has paid off with a larger, much nicer building.
?This helped improve us a little bit,? said Mark Davis, one of four owners. The other three are his brother Adam Davis, his cousin Bryan Davis, and Charles Cantrell.
Precision Auto Machine is known for its performance-enhancing engine work, whether it?s for a car, tractor or motorcycle.
?If we can get it on our machines, we?ll work on it,? said Mark. ?Every once and a while we?ll get something too big or too little to work on but it isn?t often.?
Precision Auto Machine has been in business since 1994 and can be reached at 815-3260.
Scoggins honored as
Engineer of the Year
Whenever possible, I like to highlight members of the business community who have excelled in their field. Casey Scoggins, a 1994 Warren County High School graduate, is one of those people.
Casey was recently honored as the Chattanooga area Young Engineer of the Year for his engineering and professional achievements. Educational and community activities are also considered in deciding the award.
Casey is employed as a civil engineer at TVA in Chattanooga. He and his wife, Amy, live in Van Buren County and have two daughters, Emma, 3, and Riley, 2.
His parents are Brenda Scoggins of Walling and Danny Scoggins of Viola. Other family members include sister Sarah Lohorn of Rock Island, and grandmothers Geneva Scoggins of McMinnville and Catherine Gooch of Walling.
That?s all folks
If there?s one number to remember when thinking about business news, that number is 473-2191. Give me a call with your latest tips and you will be greatly rewarded.