[State of GA]
[Newton Co.]
Howdy, buckaroos, it's your ole pal M.B. again. Hope all is well out there.
As some of you may have noticed, The Chronicles took yet another hiatus as we're prone to do from time to time. I've recently put up a couple of posts featuring a few of my semi-recent write-ups over at The Covington News.
Speaking of The News, I'm still technically a part-time contributor for that publication, but I am no longer doing regular weekly or monthly columns. That publication changed ownership awhile back and they also changed their webpage, so most of my previous columns over the years are no longer available on the internets. However, my "Esoteric South" pieces can be found at a link at the top of the main page; I will also be putting up a select number of my past weekly columns in the near future.
So...it was basically a three month break for me for this time, and once again, I forgot to put up the "Gone Fishin'" sign.
Why the pause? Why the hell not?
But seriously, as I've been prone to do several times over the years, I just had to unplug. These episodes usually coincide with me having a bit of a...dip, shall we say. It's been a core attribute of my essence most of my life. Chasing the world by its tail, as well as my own, and riding the waves that will go up but always end up coming down. Peaks and valleys. Most of my life, just like Jerry Jeff Walker sang about, I'd just let "the high times carry the low," but I'd grown kind of weary of that.
So I've made some changes. For one thing, I haven't had a drink in going on a month. For those who know me, they know that's a pretty big deal. I've basically been a daily imbiber my entire adult life. I've also made some other changes. Basically I'm trying to find that elusive balance that has escaped me for such a long time. Just looking for a good even keel. I'm working on it, and it feels pretty good...
But enough about me.
I'm so glad to be back in the saddle as there's plenty of things going on. Here's a sampling of some of the things I'm working on or will be working on as well as some recent happenings here in the home city & county.
- The Covington municipal election. Chris Smith. Gracious in defeat? Not hardly. That's a piece in the very near future.
- The Newton Co. Hospital Authority. I'm still Ahab, folks, and they are Moby Dick. That's one I've still been working during the TPC break and I hope to have a piece up on that very soon.
- The Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton & Walton. Stanton Springs. Mystery LLCs. Coincidental addresses. Properties being sold to an entity and then sold back to the authority for million dollar gains, being paid for by taxpayers. As this publication has been saying for over two years, this thing stinks to high heaven.
- The Bear Creek fiasco.
- And much, much more...
It's not all going to be politics, ant hill kicking & muckraking, though. I'm going to try to do my best to bring back "Marshall's Music Minute" and "The Alcovy Telegraph," two of my former CovNews columns, here at TPC on a weekly (or semi-weekly) basis. There's only so much time in the day and I am a pretty busy guy, but I'm gonna give it the ole college try. And we're looking forward to some future pieces from TPC contributor Ellis Millsaps.
It's so good to be back with you.
'Til next time,
MBM