Quality Carpet Cushion’s former manufacturing plant on McCarter Road, which relocated after a 2008 fire, caught fire again yesterday afternoon. Conflicting reports say the fire started sometime after 1 PM or right around 3, either way it was extinguished fairly quickly by crews from LaFayette Fire and Walker State Prison.

“It’s the beginning of a conversation .. It’s just like dating a girl. You have to date her more than once or twice before you get what you want.” – Rep. John Deffenbaugh (R-Idiot), comparing the TN-GA border war to fornication.

So does this mean we’re going to use Tennessee to fill our own needs and leave her in the dust when someone else comes along? Take her out on dates, buy her flowers – but after she gives up water rights, we don’t answer the phone when she calls.

Thanks again to all the West Walker County voters who elected this joker. You can’t say LU didn’t warn you – more than once.

Yesterday the city released a photo of the new airport terminal. This picture is probably the closest 95% of LaFayette’s residents will ever get to it, but it looks nice anyway.

Parents and students, how do you like this year’s school schedule? Well, don’t get used to it.. Walker Co Schools this fall will go back to starting pre-Labor Day to accommodate testing.

Also, unverified reports that the school board has made some redistricting decisions about middle school kids that will send 6th-8th graders out in Kensington who have attended Chattanooga Valley Middle in a different direction next school year.

Teachers and school administrators will be getting the official announcement later today.

GA General Assembly is looking at two gun bills. One would remove the state’s ban on concealed weapons on college campuses, the other would end a ban on carrying guns at church. The church bill wouldn’t force churches to allow guns, but would end state rules that currently prohibit guns from churches regardless of the church body’s wishes.

The guns at church bill is sponsored by Walker County’s two state reps, Jay Neal and John Deffenbaugh. Here’s the full text of the proposed law.

Walker County Schools has released an update on construction progress at Saddle Ridge school north of Rock Spring, along with a preliminary map for redistricting once the new K-8th school opens. The school is promised for this fall, but insiders think it’ll be more like Winter Break before classes can begin there.

The map accompanying this article is incomplete and unlabeled, making it almost useless. Final decisions about redistricting the county and changing bus routes will be made at a special School Board meeting tomorrow night. A “town hall” type meeting for parents and citizens will be held at a later date, possibly after the end of the school year – but that meeting will be more for distributing information about changes already made than about getting input from interested parties.

The meeting and any final changes will be posted here as soon as they become known.

Pippa-Hall Jackson, the most recent prisoner killed after a stay at Hays Prison, sent his mother a letter saying he didn’t expect to survive long behind bars. Now his family is asking if Department of Corrections employees followed policies that could have kept the 19-year-old convict from being murdered.

Last year Georgia paid out more than $300,000 in overtime to Hays Prison employees because of widespread staff shortages. As the year went on, more and more guards quit due to conditions at the prison. Even now they’re short staff; offering $26,000 a year starting pay isn’t enticing many to sign up.

The above article was on the front page of Sunday’s Times Free Press.. After the break on page A10 they quoted something said here on the LU blog last week:

“A local blogger recently mocked the advertised salary, writing on a popular website: ‘You, too, can get stabbed with a piece of broken window frame for only $26k a year.'”

The paper didn’t cite this blog by name or link to it, but nice to know LU is considered “popular” among Chattanooga newspaper reporters.

Reports of an accident in Rock Spring this morning between 7:30 and 8. No real details to share. For updates throughout the day, follow LU on Facebook or Twitter.

WQCH Radio, 02/14/13: “NEW PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS ARE ‘ON THE RISE’ IN WEST LAFAYETTE. THE CONTRACTOR IS FRAMING-IN SEVERAL UNITS ON THE FORMER SITE OF HILL HIGH SCHOOL AT CULBERSON AND STEEL [sic] STREETS.

(That’s Steele Street but you don’t hear the difference when they read it on the radio.)

“THE 5.6-MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT WILL ALSO INCLUDE NEW HOUSING UNITS AT FOSTER CIRCLE, NEAR THE LAFAYETTE POST OFFICE. THE TARGET COMPLETION DATE FOR ALL 30 NEW UNITS IS THIS JULY, ACCORDING TO HOUSING AUTHORITY DIRECTOR, RUTH BASS.”

Having this done will be a great thing for LaFayette. It provides decent, affordable housing for fifty families and also cleans up the hands-down absolute worst corner in the city for crime, drug activity, and just outright ugliness.

Previous posts on this: September 2010 | November 2012 | December 2012 | December 2012

Roper needs about eighty temporary workers, so they’re having a job fair on February 27th from noon to 4 at the BoL Community Room. Those hired will make $10.25 an hour and work 20-40 hours a week. No idea how long the jobs will last, but temp jobs at Roper sometimes become permanent as positions open up.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

During Monday’s City Council meeting, it was revealed that the electric department – which provides a bulk of the city’s operating funds – lost money last fiscal year. However, it only lost money because of $1.1 million transferred to the city’s general fund.

Consultants recommend rate increases for all LaFayette utilities but so far the council hasn’t made a move. There’s a special meeting scheduled for next Monday, the issue could come back up during that discussion.

This sign spotted Tuesday in Trion by the entrance to Hays State Prison.

You, too, can get stabbed with a piece of broken window frame for only $26k a year. Benefits now expanded to include your own personal stab-resistant vest.

That’s the minimum, hopefully you’d make more than that if you had any experience in law enforcement or any kind of education – but if you had experience or education you’d probably take a job somewhere else.

This isn’t posted to slam those who work there.. Just saying that is NOT a lot of money considering what the job involves, and it’s no wonder they can’t find and keep good people.