Wrapping up September with a very short Daily Update…

Bobby Davenport, brother of Bebe Heiskell’s self-declared campaign manager and director of the Lula Lake Land Trust (benefitting from various projects the county is building), says we should vote for Bebe because her opponent hasn’t ever run a county before. He also says Walker’s economy is “outperforming.” Sounds like they still get the GOOD drugs up on Lookout Mountain.

When compared to ALL public schools, charters don’t perform especially well. But when charters in poor districts are compared to traditional schools in the same areas, they excel. Charters also result in better academic results from minority students and higher graduation rates.

USPS is apparently planning to close or significantly scale back hours at the Post Offices in Lyerly and Menlo.

District Attorney Buzz Franklin has offered sentencing deals to three of the four teens involved in stealing and destroying this Nissan XTerra back in June. According to someone close to the case, the 19-year-old gets 8-years probation because he was “only a child,” one of the minors gets one year probation, and the other juvenile gets a year in YDC. No word yet about the fourth suspect involved. Is this a fair deal or too lenient?

In other crime news, Walker Co Sheriff’s Office has declared a 1979 homicide case “closed” after the DA’s office said there was “sufficient evidence to prosecute” a suspect who died last year. (Meanwhile, how many homicide have they actually cleared since 2000?)

They can decide there’s sufficient evidence to prosecute a dead man for something that happened 33 years ago, but not enough to prosecute a deputy who had sexual contact with a girl weeks earlier, or prosecute Clara Marsh even though she had dead bodies in her back yard. Good job DA’s office and Walker County SO, keep closing those cases nobody remembers.

An anonymous Facebook page/group supporting Bebe Heiskell has begun making suggestions of violent threats against write-in candidate Ales Campbell. There are several groups pushing lies and violence, and Heiskell has endorsed several of them. Residents should call her office [ 706 638 1437 ] and ask if she condones this behavior.

If any Campbell supporters suggested a similar song for Bebe, they’d get a visit from law enforcement.

A single-vehicle accident yesterday on GA 341 between Camp Rd. and Pond Spring claimed the life of a 25-year-old Kensington man. The sole individual involved was ejected from the vehicle and killed; he was reportedly late for work and speeding when the vehicle went out of control. Residents in the area say there are accidents there often, they blame a lack of guardrails and no law enforcement presence watching for speeders.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his family today.

Another serious accident occurred around the same time on Hwy. 27 near the Chickamauga Huddle House. No word on the condition of persons involved in that incident.

LPD has arrested two men, Ricky Sweet and Julian Uvalle, for breaking into six cars, stealing offering money from the Church of Christ last week, and swiping cameras from Second Baptist after the free dental clinic. Couple of real nice fellows.

One of the cars burglarized belonged to a firefighter, and they stole his radio and “turn out gear” which would be essentially worthless unless you work for a fire department.

Another burglary where a home on Warthen St. was set on fire after jewelry was stolen is now also being linked to the two arrested men, Sweet and possibly Uvalle.

Fiscal 2013 begins in five days, but LaFayette still doesn’t have a budget. The biggest issue being contested seems to be the golf course. It loses money hand over fist, as we’ve been screaming about here for three years. Should they keep raising fees in hopes of losing less money, or lower fees and add “family” packages to bring more people into the community? Or maybe advertise the thing sometime.

Lowering rates or even giving away games does nothing if people don’t know the LaFayette Golf Course exists, know what the rates are, and know how to find it. (Whoever decided to put the entrance off Foster Mill Drive instead of South Main St. had no interest in helping the city’s economy, regardless of what they say now.) So if the city plans to do anything with the golf course (besides sell it), advertising it to the outside world is a must.

But citizens must ask: what it would bring at auction? Sell the golf course to the highest bidder to a company that could operate it profitably and advertise it. The city would make money from selling it and be off the hook for future losses, and there would still be a golf course in town. Call or e-mail your councilor.

The Heiskell campaign and its press release factory (a/k/a McEntrye at the Messenger) on efforts to bring in business and develop the Swanson farm in Noble. Article fails to mention how the county is paying $10,000 a year just for the right to keep someone else from buying the Swanson farm first.

According to the article, Heiskell didn’t buy the land outright from Swanson so he can keep paying property taxes on the land – but this “option” costs the county about $2,000 a year MORE than his overall property tax bill. All this arrangement does is discourage businesses from buying the tracts outright at a lower price than the county will pay.

LU first discussed the Swanson property way back in June 2010.

Opponents of write-in commissioner candidate Ales Campbell have brought to our attention that she -or rather her husband’s business- had an overdue county property tax bill (for office equipment) amounting to some $300 and change. When notified of the problem, Campbell immediately paid the bill. They’re grasping at straws and coming up with nothing compared to the outstanding corruption, nepotism, and leadership issues facing Commissioner Heiskell.

People opposed to Campbell also point out that she hasn’t filed a campaign finance report. That’s also true, but she hasn’t been required to file one yet since she wasn’t a candidate during the first six months of 2012. A report for July-September is required once September ends, and once one is prepared it’ll be shared here along with Heiskell’s.

Campbell’s opponents have also resorted to name-calling, profanity, racial slurs, and outright fabricated lies. It seems to be a sign of desperation where they lack anything substantial to say about her. Commissioner Heiskell is surely aware of the attacks, since many originate from her own Facebook page and circle of friends – but she so far has done nothing to discourage the behavior.

Friday morning students and staff from LaFayette Middle School contacted astronauts onboard the International Space Station using ham radio. It was a big moment for the community and inspiring for the students present. Astronauts were asked (and attempted to answer) student-submitted questions for about ten minutes before the station moved beyond local radio range.