Cedar Posts has been in Charleston for the last week, dealing with the boat business and trying to keep an up beat smile while working through some heart ache.
One of Cedar's Captains, Lucas Smith was killed along with one of our stews, a little more than a week ago. The Post and Courier story is here. Lucas and I have been friends for nearly a decade, he'll be missed, and every time I hear someone say "Brother" I'll think of him.
The trouble at hand is how to sort out the many commitments we've made to clients while the powers that be, shut down his business.
Trust me its ugly.
The FAA's Preliminary Accident Report is here.
Ken Burger
On the plus side I've had time to enjoy Charleston a little more than usual. In doing so I've read the Charleston Post and Courier more in the past week than I have so far this year. It really is a great newspaper made by some great people.
One such person is Ken Burger who wrote his last column this past week. You might recall Cedar's challenge that cost me $100.00 last summer. Ken turned the tables on my challenge and made me laugh so hard I almost spit coffee.
Ken Burger sits down with the staff of Jack's Cafe at 41 George Street Charleston.
Ken's final column is here and my post from last year here.
CMPD Chief Monroe issues a statement on "Mandatory" yearbook photos
Chief Monroe
Charlotte's Chief of Police Rodney Monroe did a 180 late Monday evening, stating that the yearbook photos are now NOT mandatory. The chief cited "a few complaints". Cedar Posts would describe it more like a phalanx of complaints.
Trial date set in fake testicles case
From the Charleston Post and Courier: The trial for the case of the fake plastic testicles is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 21.
That's assuming a judge does not dismiss the case before then, Charleston attorney Scott Bischoff said today.
He's representing Virginia Tice, who got a $445 ticket after she pulled her pickup into a gas station with big red fake plastic testicles hanging from the rear.
Police Chief Franco Fuda gave her the ticket, saying she had violated the state's obscene bumper sticker law.
The law says a sticker, decal, emblem, or device is indecent when it describes "in a patently offensive way, as determined by contemporary community standards, sexual acts, excretory functions, or parts of the human body." The rest of the story is here.
Family Dollar shoplifter sentenced to 20 years in prison
From the Charlotte Observer: A Lancaster man with a history of shoplifting was handed down a 20-year prison sentence after a trial in a York County courtroom.
Donald Ray Altman, 48, received the sentence after being found guilty of shoplifting, four counts of possession of stolen goods and altering a license tag, according to a release from the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. The rest of the story is here.
Boy, 14, arrested after urinating in public
Also from the Charlotte Observer: A Rock Hill teen playing basketball was arrested after he took a bathroom break in nearby bushes.
A resident of Gentle Breeze Lane alerted authorities Saturday night to a teen who urinated near his house, according to a Rock Hill police report.
Police talked to the boy, 14, who was playing basketball near that man’s house around 7:50 p.m.
He admitted to relieving himself in the bushes near the house but didn’t think he did anything wrong. He told officers he thought it was OK to use the bathroom in public since he was covered, the report states.
Police charged the teen with public disorderly conduct and took him home. He was released to his mother and issued a summons to appear in court.
The Cow
The Coburg Cow has been a part of my Charleston life since I was born. Mrs. Cedar loves Coburg Chocolate Milk and so and trip to Charleston requires a cooler for two things "fresh shrimp" and Coburg Chocolate Milk.
It's just better than anything we have in Charlotte. This week the Coburg name will fade into our dusty memories and the story is here.
Death Zone
The Post and Courier has done a number of stories on the high accident rate along I-26 between Summerville and I-95. Now the State DOT is going to try to fix what's wrong with the highway. Their solution is here and its also a fail.
Cedar's Take:
The trouble is not with the road but the truckers who drive based on their "floscan" read outs and not the speed limit. They creep past each other blocking both lanes for miles at a time. This causes a temporary traffic log jam behind them. It is this log jab that causes drivers to jockey for position and often a sudden slow down in traffic a mile or more behind the trucks.
Suddenly finding the cars in front of them driving 20 miles an hour slower the surprised driver swerves off the road and strikes the trees. Game over!
Note: It is better to hit the car in front of you going 50 than the tree that is parked.
16 comments:
Cedar,
Do you have any more information on Foster and if/why she is making 9,000 more than all the other Majors?
This is troubling news and if true should be investigated.
T $109K She is pulling in $8,888 more than any other Major some with longer service records. That si almost 10% more. Nearly as much as a Deputy Chief at $112k
Where are RoMo's promotions?
So the chief went from potentially endangering the lives of every single officer and all of the entire public, up through and including those comimg for DNC2012 to only potentially endangering the lives of officers who sign up to volunteer & all the rest?
Why is any member of the CMPD going to ALLOW their photo to be published in a book which could be used in such a harmful way? Does any of you have the the BRASS to tell this guy--or his bosses--what a stupid thing he is doing?
Are you counting on "Executive Officers", with their extra $9000 pay to spend their time reviewing this kind of stuff and taking care of it for you? Do you think she will also point out what a stupid waste of money it is (the yearbook, I mean)?
WTF is an Executive Officer? Is that an "approved" rank, with civil service approval and protection? Or is it just something that rodney decided to do without any oversight or approval or budget approval for this "job" he created?
And does this created position REALLY deserve this kind of pay bump??
And does this position require more time and work than, say, a Division Major? Which I don't believe she has ever been? Does she work harder than ANY other Major at cmpd to deserve this kind of pay increase?
This is just crazy that this is happening and no one is questioning it!
How many non rank "Executive Officers" are there?
How long has she been a Major?
Compared to every other Major, what is her experience/time on at cmpd?
I love the cow! If they tear it down I'll never drink milk again. I think it should get historic landmark status.
I don't know why they would change the name. Coburg says local and fresh. Borden screams processed, fake, stale and from Ohio!
At first I thought this was just a bunch of odd news items with no end but when I think about it all these stories are connected.
Ken Burger, Bull Testicles, A Cow, Rodney Monroe Bull Shit, Kid playing basketball must have been wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey, SCDOT more Bull Shit and the closing of Pelican Cleaners and Osprey epic Bull Shit.
Sounds like the FOP for once got the message from the guys they should be supporting.
Do you think Charlotte City Council is listening?
FOP could compose a letter to Council--if Monroe & Walton won't listen. That's chain of command.
If none of them are smart enough to put a stop to it, there's always FBI & Secret Service. I think those organizations would like to know, rather than play catch up and spend all the extra time, money and worry for the stupid and potentially harmful decision of putting out a book full of pictures of what Rodney says are the main players of security for DNC2012, and for all of us every day.
Is he still not getting this potential problem? I really understand why he couldn't figure out--according to him--that he hadn't properly earned a degree in college. It was really, really nice of them to overlook that for the only time in history and let him keep it anyway. Thanks, VCU.
And it was really nice of Walton and the Council to let him have the job even though having that degree was part of the job requirement. Now we're really seeing what his "street savvy" can do.
Yeah, also what's up with the report that she received a lump sum bonus??? And what I read last night about Ricky Robbins working part time, but making $40 per hour in addition to his 2011 Dodge Charger take home.
I saw the other day that Romo was already apparently not happy with his Charger, so he has now ordered yet ANOTHER Crown Vic. It was at the CDC shop getting hooked up.
I understand the grief about the yearbook. On one hand, I kind of like the idea, but on the other, yet another way for my name and picture to potentially end up in the hands of the public.
But my ultimate question is with everyone raising so much hell over the yearbook, why didn't everyone go this ape shit over the baseball cards? I thought that was a much bigger waste of time and far more unsafe idea.
I didn't know about the baseball cards. Thanks for pointing that out.
Weren't there "hero cards," too, now that you reminded us?
Idiotic, unsafe, self-promoting, waste of money!!! I guess RoMo needs something to look good on his bookshelves behind him in those expnsive Sgt Pepper uniforms for his promotional interviews.
Pay for health care, raises, bonuses (to qualified personnel) training and safety equipment. Don't forget, that bonus information is two years out-of-date.
The difference with the cards was the officers controlled their distribution. No one wanted those cards either. I bet if you took a survey, the vast majority of those cards are stuck in someone's closet, garage or trash can with none of them being distributed. A yearbook is harder since everyone's photo is in it and you can't control the distribution.
You Officers that post on here, if you are Officers are the biggest bunch of whiners I have ever met.
You guys are PUBLIC SERVANTS! Just like the conversation discussed a few weeks ago about filming you in public, you have no expectation of privacy. You are not secret soldiers you wear a uniform and walk around in public.
We taxpayers pay your salary and we have a right to know who WORKS for US.
How many times are officers featured on the news or in the paper. Officers that save a citizen posted all over the place. not a problem there huh?
I support you guys on many issues, but this is petty.
If a citizen has a vendetta against officer he wont need a yearbook to find him.....geez
Anon 1:30
How about it is just a stupid idea, safety issues aside.
I mean, who the heck dredges up these sorry, tired ideas?
Do they really think it will distract the troops from what is going on at cmpd, i.e., promotions, pay raises, lack of leadership, etc., etc.
It is just another testimony to the ego of Monroe........
How can you ever, ever trust his motives, seems there is Always a personal agenda.
Post a Comment