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News from CommerceNewsTODAY - Topics from July, 2008

Kudos to Benton for opposing House speaker

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Wednesday, July 23. 2008

Rep. Tommy Benton certainly raised some eyebrows last week when he announced he is among the key supporters of a challenger to House Speaker Glenn Richardson. Most local observers believed that Benton was not willing to oppose the speaker, who is known to punish those legislators who dare cross him. They stand corrected. It’s good to see the ... [Full Story »]

Council lacks courage to reject sign variance

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 23. 2008

The Commerce City Council’s refusal to turn down Walgreens’ request for a variance in the sign ordinance bodes ill for the regulation of signs in the future. Like a promiscuous teenager, the council can’t muster the resolve to say “no.” Walgreens wants something the city ordinance does not allow. The city planning commission ... [Full Story »]

And The Cat Came Back

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 23. 2008

By Susan Harper Sitting at my parents’ breakfast table a few weeks ago, I commented on the fact that I hadn’t seen “that cat” in a while. I was referring to a feral black cat which had crossed our garden paths often enough in the past year to bring us all lots of bad luck if we believed in that sort of thing, which of course we don’t. ... [Full Story »]

The Lonesome Writer

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 23. 2008

By Willis Cook Writing is not very highly regarded as a profession. People tend to look down on writers as being unemployed (and perhaps many of them are). After all, you rarely see a writer actually writing; when you do see one, he is out gallivanting about and socializing, so it does look like the writer is a footloose ne’er-do-well. ... [Full Story »]

Former local doctor apparent drowning victim

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 23. 2008

The body of a former Commerce physician was recovered from the Intercoastal Waterway near St. Augustine last weekend. Officials said a swimmer discovered the body of Joe Roy Wardlaw, 59, about half a mile south of a boat he’d bought in May. Wardlaw retired in June. There was no indication of foul play. Wardlaw’s tenure in Commerce was ... [Full Story »]

Rolling domestic dispute results in two arrests

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Tuesday, July 22. 2008

A North Carolina couple coming back from a church conference got into a rolling domestic dispute on Interstate 85 that ran at least one vehicle off the road. The Commerce Police Department responded to the call after receiving a lookout for a vehicle in which the driver and passenger were exchanging blows and swerving all over the road. The ... [Full Story »]

Water authority wants YOU to start watering

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Tuesday, July 22. 2008

After months of warning customers not to water their lawns due to the drought, the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority has changed course. It not only allows the watering of yards, but encourages it. In fact, officials are all but begging their customers to turn on their sprinklers. Recovery of the Bear Creek Reservoir, extremely ... [Full Story »]

Close call at the RaceTrac station

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Friday, July 18. 2008

The Banks County Fire Department quickly extinguished a spectacular blaze at the Banks Crossing RaceTrac gas station early Wednesday afternoon. Fire Chief Gary Pollard said a man was cleaning out a set of fuel tanks at the gas station at about 1 p.m. when fuel being pumped from the storage tank into a tank in his truck apparently landed on the ... [Full Story »]

DUI suspect: I was going faster than that!

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Thursday, July 17. 2008

It is not unusual for someone stopped for speeding to suggest that police are mistaken about the speed, but rarely does someone say they were going faster than charged. But that was what happened last week when an officer of the Commerce Police Department allegedly clocked Craig A. Mulligan, 20, of 90 Wilbanks Way, Commerce, doing 108 miles per ... [Full Story »]

The political conventions don't inspire confidence

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Thursday, July 17. 2008

The local primaries are (almost) over. It’s like a root canal, but the pain lasts longer and is located in another part of the anatomy. It’s nice when it’s gone. But at least most of our elections were resolved with the primary, so we can turn our focus to the presidential campaign, the highlight of which will be watching the Democrats ... [Full Story »]

Entries from July 2008