LaFayette has a fire problem. Again.

Last night fire crews were called to a blaze in the back of an empty home at 606 520 Henderson St. The home, unoccupied and unpowered, wasn’t a complete loss but looks to be heavily damaged.

This is the third house fire in LaFayette in less than a week – and all three burned houses (106 N Flora St, 313 E. Villanow St, and now 520 Henderson) were empty and had no power connected when they fell to flame.

State fire inspectors had already been called in to check out two of the earlier fires, and the one on Villanow St. from Sunday was being described as suspicious BEFORE yesterday’s blaze. The third fire makes all three conflagrations more concerning.       

Walker DFCS director Kimberlee Gravitz has been “removed” from her job, following an investigation into a neglect case last year that required 13+ reports from teachers before action was taken.

(It’s unclear at this point if “removed” means fired outright, suspended, demoted, or transferred.)

The specific case that led to Gravitz’s job change is from January, when a 9-year-old child was removed from a home on Pledger Parkway due to neglect (his guardians were charged with multiple counts of abuse). Unfortunately it took DFCS over two months, more than a dozen calls from teachers, and police intervention before anything was done to help the child.   

Commissioner Heiskell held her LaFayette “community meeting” Tuesday night at 7, with almost nobody in attendance.

During the meeting Heiskell AGAIN blamed the county’s financial troubles on 9/11, Tri-State Crematory, 2009 flooding, the 2011 tornado, a garbage dump fire, and the library.

In other words, a repeat of the same things she’s been using for excuses for the last five years.

She took time out of the meeting to make personal attacks against the library director and a Rossville business owner who no longer lives in Georgia, both of whom are somehow more responsible for the county’s finances than she is – in her mind anyway.

Bebe also said Audia jobs will start at $18 an hour, had a fit over a tourism project that never worked out, and listed how many times some of her mental enemies have been arrested.

All that plus picked her nose 12 times in the first 90 minutes – something she does almost any time she’s seen in public (including on TV). Maybe she’s OCD about it or something.

The next Community Meeting is tonight at 7 in Rock Spring, at the fire department in front of GNTC. LU has heard from several planning to go, so this might be the interesting one. Hope you can make it to see how the Commissioner treats constituents who speak out.       

LaFayette Fire is investigating the blaze that took out a house on North Flora St. last Friday. Home being renovated had no power, burned to the ground after a worker left for lunch.

No injuries, minimal loss of personal property.

This won’t do much to help that neighborhood. Hopefully the property owners at least clean up the mess.   

Former city leader Bryan Hall Jackson passed away Saturday in Tunnel Hill.

Jackson served a total of 21 years on LaFayette’s city council. During that time he fought to add sidewalks, campaigned to have US 27 expanded from two lanes to four south of town, and worked to create Joe Stock Park. He made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 1990.

He was also a local business owner, a thirty year military veteran who served in Korea and Vietnam, ran the local Legion post, coached ball for a decade, was active in the Boy Scouts, and was a major supporter of the Empty Stocking Fund.

His service will be Thursday in Varnell.   

We know most state legislators – like Jeff Mullis – don’t listen to their constituents, so who DO they listen to? Lobbyists.

What do the lobbyists want? We’re not supposed to find out; an Atlanta reporter who tried to attend a conference of lobbyists and legislators last week in Savannah was kicked out of his hotel for asking questions. And everything that goes on inside is exempt from open records law and political reporting requirements because of state nonprofit rules and a loophole intentionally added to state law by the legislators in attendance.

This is burning up the Internet, because it’s outrageous. But hardly surprising.

Because this event was closed, it’s not clear which legislators attended this shindig. Mullis is a probable; it’s unknown if Tarvin or Deffenbaugh participated. Rep. Tarvin has so far not responded to an inquiry from LU sent over Twitter.   

An empty 1.88 acre lot of land in front of Walmart has been the focus of rumors, for years, involving various restaurants with plans to expand into LaFayette.

In recent weeks stories about the bank-owned site have solidified, and now it seems pretty clear LaFayette will soon get a Bojangles franchise between the Hi-Tech gas station and Stansell Furniture’s former store – much to the concern of Maryland Fried Chicken and Hardee’s, which will both be squeezed by the new competitor.

A deal to buy the lot and break ground on a new chicken n biscuits store is expected to finalize next month. LaFayette’s Bojangles will join one built a year ago in Summerville and 400+ other locations around the country.

Now for recent health scores:

The worst score of May, so far, was awarded to local institution Dari-Dip. Dari-Dip earned an 82 on May 4th thanks to a number of hot food items not kept hot enough and the placement of raw bacon above prepared food in a walk-in cooler.

Fellow downtown eatery Queen City Bistro came in just ahead of Dari-Dip with an 85, cited for meat not kept at proper temperature and an uncovered drink kept next to the microwave.

County-Owned Manor House Restaurant: 90
Chattanooga Street Tavern: 90
Arby’s: 95
LaFayette Healthcare / Pruitt Health Nursing Home: 100

Another local business that never made any sense now makes sense – North Georgia Liquidators is an alleged front for pot production.

Store was busted Wednesday, Juan Luis Arellano – whose family also owns Rafael’s next door – charged with manufacturing and possessing marijuana.

If they were putting pot in the pizza and pasta, they’d have better business.. Just sayin.   

Ringgold plumber allegedly steals property from customers. After his arrest, authorities learned Benjamin Guest of Guest Plumbing (which had no business license) is also a registered sex offender.

Some $30,000 in jewelry taken, sold for scrap. Much of the stolen material was apparently scrapped before discovery; recovered material includes a scratched up Roper Corp service pin and what appears to be a couple of crushed LHS class ring from the 1950’s. Catoosa is looking for property owners.

If you recognize this material, call the Catoosa Sheriff’s Office at 706 935 2424.   

Police have a lead on a suspect from recent vehicle break-ins at three LaFayette hair salons. Man, described as white and in his thirties, was seen stealing from a car parked at Bedazzled last Saturday. He was seen leaving in a silver Ford.

Suspect is likely connected to two other vehicle robberies at Strandz and Bangz in April.

It’s unclear if the thief (or thieves) are targeting hair salons, or just businesses that use the letter “Z” in their names.   

Last week during the May council meeting, LaFayette leaders decided to put a 90-day hold on allowing a “hookah lounge” to set up on Chattanooga Street.

City wants to study the impact of hookah businesses on other communities before deciding to ban or allow such an establishment in this one, and adjust city codes accordingly.

WQCH Radio, 05/13/15: “IN THE SHORT [May] MEETING, THE SUBJECT OF ‘HOOKA LOUNGES’ CAME UP, AS CITY MANAGER DAVID HAMILTON SAID THERE HAD BEEN AN INTEREST EXPRESSED FROM THE MARS THEATER DISTRICT ON CHATTANOOGA STREET.

“..COUNCIL AGREED TO BAN THE BUSINESSES IN LAFAYETTE FOR 90 DAYS, WHILE A STUDY IS DONE TO GAUGE THE AFFECTS OF HOOKA LOUNGES OPERATING IN OTHER CITIES. CURRENT CITY ORDINANCES DO NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THEM.”

Hookah is basically a communal tobacco pipe several people smoke (and slobber on) at the same time.

Is this something LaFayette should welcome?     

Walker County is getting $800,000 from the state to expand the landfill. That amount is likely not close to what an expansion will ultimately cost, and even after an expansion the dump won’t accept regular trash – only construction debris as it does now..

Household garbage will continue being trucked off to the middle of nowhere in other states, using the Marble Top Rd. facility as a transfer station. So what’s the point?   

Notorious Goodwill donation thief busted for stealing Goodwill donations.

WQCH Radio, 05/18/15: “LOCAL POLICE MADE AN ARREST FOR THEFT BY TAKING AT THE LOCAL ‘TRADE DAY’ PARKING LOT ON WEST VILLANOW STREET IN LAFAYETTE.

“37 YEAR OLD SCOTT ALLEN RHODES WAS CHARGED AFTER POLICE GOT A TIP THAT SOMEONE HAD TAKEN ITEMS DONATED TO GOODWILL – ACROSS THE STREET – AND WAS TRYING TO SELL THEM AT THE FLEA MARKET.

“IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT THE RESPONDING OFFICER WAS THE PERSON WHO HAD MADE THE DONATION OF TOYS TO THE LOCAL GOODWILL STORE IN THRIFTY CENTER, SO HE KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT THE GOODS HE SPOTTED WERE STOLEN. RHODES WAS ARRESTED ON THE THEFT BY TAKING CHARGE.”

People were reporting on Rhodes doing this very thing way way back in 2010 and 2011. This is, somehow, the first time he’s been caught by LPD.

Rhodes was arrested last fall for jumping on a woman’s hood and busting her windshield.   

Last night Commissioner Heiskell held a previously-announced community meeting at the Lee School Rd. fire station. Meeting was attended by some of the station’s fire fighters and one citizen.

Monday night’s meeting at Naomi was apparently canceled, like the Thursday meeting from last week – putting the Commissioner at .500 so far for meetings actually held.

Next community meeting is scheduled for Thursday night at the East Broomtown Rd. fire station. Be there by 7 PM.