Lady trapped in swamp just wants apology
I read an interesting news report the other day about an 83-year-old Florida woman who survived in her car for three days while she was trapped in a swamp.
She was in the swamp because a 23-year-old man rear-ended her car, knocked her over an embankment, and then fled the accident scene. So the 83-year-old woman named Tillie Tooter sat stuck in her car for three days until a teen-ager picking up trash along the highway happened to notice her.
But that’s not the really interesting part of the story. Sadly enough, I’m not surprised someone would wreck an old lady and then drive off without even checking on her condition.
What I am surprised about is the old lady is not going to file a lawsuit against the man who was eventually caught by the highway patrol. According to prosecutors, all Tooter wants is an apology.
“From the beginning she’s been very gracious,” said prosecutor Gregg Rossman referring to Tooter. “She wanted somebody to plead guilty and apologize.”
The man, named Scott Campbell, did plead guilty and received five years probation. After apologizing to Tooter, she said in true grandma fashion, “I hope you learned your lesson young man.”
I’d say Mr. Scott Campbell has enjoyed his stroke of good luck. I figure if I ever tapped the back of an old lady’s car going about 3 mph, she would show up in court wearing a neck brace and demanding about $2.3 million for pain and suffering. The courts would likely foreclose on my house and I’d have my paycheck garnished for the next 42 years. But Scott Campbell gets off with no jail time, no lawsuit and a simple apology. Now that’s good luck.
The news wasn’t so favorable for Michael William Rahmer, a 26-year-old Reno, Nev., resident who was recently arrested for purse snatching. After swiping the purse, Rahmer was chased down and tackled by police.
So what was his explanation? He told officers he was only trying to test police response time to a crime report – and admitted he was indeed impressed at how fast they caught him. Somehow I don’t see that excuse getting very far in front of a judge.
And since I’m bringing you various odds and ends from the courtroom, I offer one final tidbit about Frederick James, who is facing drug charges in St. Louis. At a recent hearing, James told the judge he owns a copyright on his name and said if the judge wants to call him by name, he’ll have to pay a royalty of a half million dollars each time. That’s certainly an innovative way to make a fortune if it works.
I realize you’re probably antsy and fidgeting in your recliner so I won’t keep you waiting any longer. Here’s this week’s Business Pulse.
Powers 4-Lane BP is sold
I hadn’t heard anything through the rumor mill about Powers 4-Lane BP being up for sale, but that’s what happened on Wednesday. Glenn and Jackie Powers sold their popular Sparta Highway market to Canter Oil, a company which is big in the Manchester, Tullahoma and Shelbyville areas.
I didn’t get too many details about the sale, only that the store no longer belongs to the Powers and Pat Burks is the new manager. Pat had not worked at the market previously, only starting after Wednesday’s transaction.
Old Spinning Wheel will open Wednesday
After doing over two months of clean-up work, owner Jeff Spears and manager Marlena Lawson are ready to open The Old Spinning Wheel restaurant this Wednesday morning.
“We expected to open sooner, but renovations took a lot longer than expected,” said Jeff, who took over the Sparta Street restaurant from former owner Doug Gillentine.
Jeff says virtually everything has been replaced, from the pipes to the wallpaper to the seat covers. He and Marlena and several other workers have scrubbed and scoured and used good, old-fashioned elbow grease to get the restaurant to sparkle.
Now all that’s left is cranking up the grill, opening the doors and waiting for customers.
“Between breakfast, lunch and dinner, we’re hoping to feed over 200 people here a day,” said Jeff. “The way I figure it, everybody has got to try out a new restaurant at least once so we’ve got that one chance to make the right impression and we’re going to do it.”
I asked Jeff about the name since The Old Spinning Wheel is unique. He told me he’s going to have three cotton plants in the restaurant and he’s ordered an authentic spinning wheel to have on display.
“It’s just like the old days when the food was made from scratch,” said Jeff.
The restaurant opens Wednesday at 6 a.m. with what’s being called Marlena’s Famous Pancake Breakfast. Strawberry, blueberry, pecan, and chocolate chip pancakes will be available along with the standard breakfast fare.
The buffet-style lunch plate will feature a meat and three vegetables with all-you-can-eat cornbread and rolls. For dinner, there will be steaks every night and all-you-can eat catfish on Friday and Saturday nights.
“We’ll have the best food at the lowest prices in town,” said Jeff.
Get your tan from an airbrush
If you want to get tan, but don’t want to lay in the sun, or underneath a tanning bed, Kristy Mason has just the thing for you. Kristy has opened a new business called New Millennium Tan. It’s located inside V’s Salon in Plaza Shopping Center.
“I’ve had a lot of girls come in who don’t go to tanning beds anymore,” said Kristy. “It’s not the orange color you get with the other tanning lotions.”
I didn’t fully understand the operation at first so Kristy was patient enough to explain it to me. Using an airbrush that runs off an air compressor, Kristy sprays a fine tanning solution mist on your skin. From there, it’s just a matter of letting the solution dry, which takes about eight hours.
“Kristy can spray you one night and you can be tan the next,” said Ami Fults, who has gone through the process about five times. “It’s fast, easy and healthy.”
One of the drawbacks is the tanning solution doesn’t last forever. But alas, what does last forever. Kristy says your tan can last up to 10 days but estimates most folks will enjoy it for about a week.
A major plus is the fact you can get an almost instant tan. For girls who have to compete in a beauty pageant, or for women who want a tan for their wedding day, New Millennium Tan provides a quick fix.
“I always tell people on big occasions they should come in and try it first,” said Kristy. “I don’t want someone to come in for the first time the day before their wedding and then not like it.”
After taking a glance at Kristy’s calendar, I think I’m in the wrong line of work. For a new business, her appointment schedule is sure full so the instant tan idea must be a popular one.
If you want to make an appointment, give Kristy a call at 474-1611. Right now she’s only working part time in the evenings and on weekends but says she hopes to expand to a full-time schedule soon.
Teddy Bear factory has the right stuff
I told you a couple months ago about the Main Street plans of Duane Schmaltz and those plans have finally been put in motion. Duane officially opened Great Smoky Mountain Teddy Bear Factory last weekend in the building which was formerly occupied by Touch O’ Klas.
I love the concept and think it will give Main Street a one-of-a-kind store that will generate downtown traffic. Geared toward children, the store allows you to stuff your own teddy bear from scratch and leave with a cuddly bear complete with his or her own birth certificate.
It costs $12 to build a small bear, $16 to build a medium size bear and $20 to build a large. There’s also clothing available such as sport jerseys for the boy bears and dresses for the girls. And other stuffables other than bears could be in the works.
“We’ll probably have some other animals,” said Duane. “One girl wanted to stuff a cow and another wanted to stuff a cat. I also had a Girl Scout troop that wanted to stuff dinosaurs so we’ll try to be accommodating.”
Duane says the teddy bear factory is ideal for class field trips or other groups. And if you don’t want to come to him, he’s got a mobile unit that can come to you. For more information, you can give him a call at 474-2327 or visit his web site: www.teddybearfactory.com.
Rent-A-Center just got bigger
For anyone who thought Rent-A-Center would be a much nicer store if it moved into the old Heileg-Meyers building, that idea has become a reality. Rent-A-Center, which was formerly located at the end of Northgate Shopping Center, has expanded in a major way.
“We’ve had a bunch of new customers just in the last week who didn’t know Rent-A-Center was even here,” said manager Jeff Short. “This let’s us have more merchandise on the floor and gives our customers more to choose from and serving the customer is what it’s all about.”
If you’re looking to rent a sofa or big-screen TV for the game – or the Mike Tyson fight in Memphis – it may be well worth your while to give Rent-A-Center a shot.
That’s all folks
If you want more business news, buy the Wall Street Journal. You can call me with tips for next week’s column at 473-2191 or e-mail me at [email protected].