Today is 12/12/12, the last triple-matching-digit date most of us will live to see. The next one will be January 1 2101, nearly 89 years from now – unless the Mayan Calendar apocalypse is true (it’s not) and we all die on 12/21.

In response criticism of the Commissioner for having no meetings in nearly two months and falling off the face of the earth, her media mouthpiece says she was on vacation and isn’t legally required to ever actually meet with the people of Walker County.

“County coordinator David Ashburn said there has been no need to have commissioner meetings lately, since no urgent official business has crossed Heiskell’s desk in recent weeks. ‘The meetings (will) resume when there’s something to meet about,’ he said.”

Multiple citizens have asked to have things put on the meeting agenda, so the claim that there’s nothing to meet about is false. The article mentions that a commissioner is required to be in the office once a week, which she hasn’t done since before the November vote.

Bebe says she was on vacation in Florida and hasn’t had one in years, but she was on vacation shortly after the July election too. And her office staff apparently didn’t know about this vacation. They scheduled meetings for her all during the time she was gone, and claimed a week ago she was “sick” or out of the office for circumstances beyond her control.

Here’s audio from two different people on the Commissioner’s staff telling Ales Campbell Bebe was sick or otherwise indisposed, not on vacation:

So was Heiskell on vacation, sick, drying out somewhere…? Does she have health problems the voters of Walker County were not told about during the election, or do her staffers simply not know when she goes on vacation for five weeks?

If we had a commission, business could continue and meetings could be held even if one person takes a vacation or gets sick. When a member of a city council is gone, the remainder of the council meets, and the city secretary/secretaries don’t lie (or find themselves lied to) about where the councilor went.

Various eyewitnesses report that a woman was Tasered at Walmart around 7 PM last night. By most accounts the woman, who has a history of drug use and violence against police, attempted to pass a bad check, resisted arrest, and had to be tased. According to witnesses the woman began screaming about a baby, although she did not appear to be pregnant, and then removed her pants while laying on the floor.

Never a dull moment in LaFayette.

More details as they become available today on LU Facebook.

Saturday’s first Reindeer Run 5K had a large turnout and has been described as a success by organizers. Here are the charity race’s official results.

Reindeer Run was organized by the new Optimist Club to benefit LPD Shop With a Cop.

Special Saturday Daily Update. Apologies for skipping Friday.

LaFayette Christmas parade was held last night. After the parade the annual Christmas Light Show (which still seems like a tacky mess but people like it) started and will run nightly at Joe Stock Park through January 2nd.

The first annual Reindeer Run 5K race to benefit Shop with a Cop will be held today at 9 AM, also at Joe Stock Park.

Late last night Ridgeland won the AAAA semifinal against Marist, final score 28-27.

As a result, the Panthers will be facing Sandy Creek HS of Tyrone next Saturday at the Georgia Dome to determine state champion. Ridgeland lost one game all year, Sandy Creek is undefeated. The two teams have never faced each other before.

This is the furthest Ridgeland has ever gone in post-season during 24 seasons of football. Sandy Creek won the AAA state championship in 2010 and AAAA in 2009, so this won’t be new for them. The game will be carried live on TV and likely streamed online.

WQCH Radio, 12/05/12: “LAFAYETTE’S DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF RETURNING PARKING METERS TO THE SQUARE, TO HELP REGULATE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH PARKING. THE SUBJECT WAS BROUGHT TO THE TABLE BY DDA BOARD CHAIR, MICHAEL LOVELADY, WHO OWNS ONE-ELEVEN ON THE SQUARE.

“SOME BOARD MEMBERS PREFERRED THE IDEA OF A 2-HOUR LIMIT FOR ON-THE-SQUARE PARKING. OTHERS SAID THE MAIN PROBLEM IS EMPLOYEE PARKING IN FRONT OF THEIR PLACES OF BUSINESS, LEAVING NO SPACES FOR CUSTOMERS.

If you want to put a final bullet in downtown LaFayette, put in parking meters. Owners of the businesses on the square need to make their employees park elsewhere or shut up about the problem – making people pay to park is death for business.

WQCH Radio, 12/04/12: “THE BUILDING PERMIT OFFICE FOR THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE HAD AN ACTIVE NOVEMBER. LEADING THE PACK IN DOLLAR FIGURES WAS THE 5.3-MILLION DOLLAR EXPANSION PROJECT AT LAFAYETTE HIGH SCHOOL; LAFAYETTE’S PIZZA HUT HAS A 120-THOUSAND DOLLAR REMODEL IN PROGRESS.

“AND THE CITY’S PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, MARK WHITE, GOT A PERMIT TO BUILD A NEW 75-THOUSAND DOLLAR DUPLEX ON INDIANA STREET.

“PROJECTS PERMITTED IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER TOTALED OVER 5.5-MILLION DOLLARS IN THE CITY.” [Emphasis added above by LU.]

Will LaFayette Public Works equipment and personnel be used for the construction of this duplex on Indiana Street? When Mark White was a councilman he built an apartment complex on Park Street that wasn’t within code and resulted in a lawsuit. White also had the city pave a street in his new subdivision. As Public Works director this year he’s been seen collecting rent during the day using a city vehicle, so it seems he still isn’t above using city resources to benefit himself.

Observant residents do NOT like this at all; concerns about White’s ethics are why LU opposed his appointment to the position back in February. City residents have to keep a close eye on him or abuse is likely to occur.

The lot White wants to develop is presumably this one on the corner of Duke and Indiana near North LaFayette Elementary. That’s the only property on Indiana Street directly owned by the former councilman.

This hour long Bebe! infomercial aired on UCTV a couple days before the November election. We’re told she rambles and contradicts herself several times, but there’s nobody at LU with a strong enough stomach to watch long enough to verify that..

Remember, THIS is the public face of Walker County. New businesses, new residents – this is what they see when they’re considering Walker County. This is what YOU VOTERS picked to be your advocate for the next four years. God help us..

Not that anybody’s SEEN Bebe in person lately. There hasn’t been a public Commissioner meeting since October 18th (today’s was cancelled on Wednesday) and she hasn’t been seen in public since the election a month ago today.

Last week crews started a $5 million renovation and expansion at LHS. Most of the work focuses on athletic facilities, as promised by tax approved by voters in 2011.

WQCH Radio, 12/03/12: “A 5-MILLION DOLLAR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT BROKE GROUND LAST WEEK AT LAFAYETTE HIGH SCHOOL. THE PROJECT WILL ADD SIX NEW CLASSROOMS AND A 14-THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT FIELD HOUSE TO THE CAMPUS, AND WILL REPLACE THE HEAT AND COOLING SYSTEM FOR THE SCHOOL GYM.

“THE ADDITIONS SHOULD BE FINISHED BY NEXT SUMMER AND THE NEW CLASS ROOMS WILL ELIMINATE THE MOBILE CLASSROOMS NOW BEING USED.

“THE NEW FIELD HOUSE AT LHS WILL HAVE FOOTBALL LOCKER ROOMS FOR BOTH TEAMS, A LARGE WRESTLING ROOM AND TRAINING ROOM, A LOCKER ROOM FOR COMPETITION CHEERLEADERS AND SEPARATE WEIGHT ROOMS FOR MALE AND FEMALE STUDENTS.”

As noted here when the EPLOST tax was up for a vote in March 2011, most of the spending will be for athletics, not academics.

Walmart was robbed last Thursday by a black male in his 20’s, used a hammer to rip open an unattended cash draw and steal about $400. Repairing the damage costs about 5x that much. He’s apparently been doing the same thing all over and isn’t believed to be local to LaFayette.