News
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Written by Pulse Staff
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Tuesday, 11 November 2008 22:38 |
The Goodine Saga Continues
The seemingly never-ending struggle of former Chattanooga Police Officer Lawrence Goodine to get back on the force continues as Goodine has now filed suit in chancery court seeking reinstatement. He was originally fired from the department after being indicted on 20 felony counts involving theft of monies from people he had stopped while on duty. However, after he was acquitted in criminal court of all charges, he took his case to the city council, which heard the case during a marathon session lasting nearly 16 hours. Although council members concluded that all allegations of theft should be stricken from his record, they did agree with Chief Freeman Cooper that Goodine was not to be reinstated and refused to give him his job back. Goodine is suing, claiming that the actions of the council were in violation of the city charter and state law.
Gregg Juster Loses Gracefully
After a highly contested race for Hamilton County School Board, in which initial returns show that George Ricks defeated Gregg Juster by a mere handful of votes, Juster has graciously said it appears that Ricks won “fair and square”. Though he is still awaiting the final certification of election results, he said, “My understanding is that there is no provision for a recount in a close race in Tennessee just because it is close, without my going to court to prove that there are ballots for my opponent that should not have been counted. And if I went to court and won, the entire election would have to be contested again.” It’s refreshing to see a political candidate concede a razor-thin election loss without creating fuss and hassle.
Congratulations To David Carroll
Longtime WRCB Channel 3 news anchor David Carroll has been awarded the Beacon Award for excellence in school reporting. Carroll, who has been covering education issues for many years, is the first Tennessee recipient of the Georgia-based award, which honors media representatives “whose coverage over time has created understanding of public education issues by informing the general public.” Mr. Carroll said, “This is a great honor. I’ve been fortunate to win some awards here in Tennessee, but to be recognized across the state line is very special. We try very hard to cover all the schools in our viewing area, and the students and teachers in Georgia make up an important part of our audience.” We offer our congratulations on a job well done.
Would You Like Some Wood?
The City of Chattanooga Department of Public Works will conduct a wood lottery this Thursday at 10 a.m. in the back lot of the Paul Clark Building, 900 East 11th Street. “This lottery will work the same as the ones conducted in past years,” said City Forester Gene Hyde. “We have some nice pieces of ash, elm, walnut, box elder, and osage orange.” The wood lottery provides, free of change, large pieces of wood that are collected from downed trees in Chattanooga. The wood is given away to carvers, wood turners, and others to use for a variety of purposes. Registration and inspection of the wood will begin at 9 a.m. The lottery process will begin at 10 a.m. with registrants’ names being drawn. The first name will get their choice of the wood lots. This process will continue until all the wood has been given out. For additional information, please contact Gene Hyde at (423) 757-7283. |
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City CouncilScope for 11.13.08 |
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Written by Pulse Staff
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Tuesday, 11 November 2008 22:37 |
b) An ordinance granting a franchise to the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga, an independent board of the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, to construct, operate and maintain a cable system in the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the purpose of providing cable service; setting forth conditions accompanying the grant of the franchise; providing for regulation and use of the system and the public rights-of-way in conjunction with the City’s right-of-way ordinance, if any; and prescribing penalties for the violations of the provisions herein.
Begun, the cable wars have. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to have a Yoda around to help us untangle the mess that will soon be descending on the city as consumers try to figure out which company is best for their television, phone and Internet service. Prices are confusing, bundle packages seem to change rates and configurations at a moment’s notice, and no one seems to know what it will really cost the Electric Power Board in the long run to compete against the big boys of Comcast and AT&T.
We have nothing against competition. In fact, we welcome more players to the cable table, since a choice between one cable company and the two big satellite companies isn’t really much of a choice. Prices are much higher here in Chattanooga than in many cities of comparable size, and that is primarily due to the lack of real competition.
That said, there are still many reservations about EPB getting into the cable business. First and foremost is that it is not a private company. It is owned by the City of Chattanooga and any losses get covered straight from the taxpayers’ wallet. That is the very definition of an unfair advantage; how many businesses have the safety net of knowing if their business model fails, the taxpayers will bail them out?
OK—maybe a bad analogy these days, but the concept still has validity. The real question will be whether or not EPB can truly compete against Comcast and (in the near future) AT&T when it comes to price and service. If they can offer a truly competitive product, then good for them. But we would still feel more comfortable if they went at it on their own financial merits instead of using taxpayers as their financial backing. |
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Weirdest Japanese Soft Drinks |
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Written by The List
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Tuesday, 11 November 2008 22:36 |
1. Kidsbeer: The Popeye Cigarettes of children’s drinks.
2. Canned God Coffee: Religion in a can—with caffeine!
3. Final Fantasy Potion drinks: For those who think life really IS a game.
4. Diet Water: All the taste and none of the calories of regular water. Huh?
5. Water Salad: Not really sure.
6. Black Vinegar Juice Bar: Dispenses acid trips.
7. Mother’s Milk: The breast-tasting drink ever!
8. Coolpis: Who wouldn’t want to drink something with a name like Coolpis?
9. Hot Calpis: The drink that makes you think…about NOT drinking it.
10. Pepsi Ice Cucumber: It’s lean, green and sounds obscene.
Japan has a drinking problem, but if you’ve got a thirst for adventure, it’s where you want to be.
Our rundown of the weirdest soft drinks from our friends on the other side of the Pacific gives a pretty good indication why most of the 1,000 or so new soft drinks and beverages launched in Japan every year fail miserably.
Look on the bright side, though: They may not be good to drink, but you can’t say they’re not amusing. And are they really any worse than Janes Soda’s Thanksgiving soft drinks?
Source: www.inventorspot.com |
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