:: The city is home to no less than seven junior and community colleges, one of which (Sparrow Valley Community College, on Cedar Ave and S.Sparrow Valley Dr.) boasts a Zagat-rated three-star cafeteria.
:: The large outdoor clock above the main entrance of the City Hall Annex was accidentally set to Standard Time last weekend. On Monday morning approximately 12 employees and visitors were seen waiting outside the building one hour before official opening time.
:: Amount of leaves a City resident is allowed to burn per week (by volume): 7 cubic feet
:: Distance from freestanding structures (doghouses and meat-smoking lodges excepted, starting in 1989) burning City leaf piles must be: 25 feet
:: Times City Code stipulates a resident must wave arms and “clearly and directly” state “I am burning leaves” before setting leaves aflame, to notify any deaf or blind children who might be playing nearby: 5
:: Times a resident of one of the city’s six unincorporated areas must “thoroughly and purposefully” probe leaf piles with a lawn implement to ensure no children or squirrels have burrowed into the leaf piles before burning: 1
:: An elaborate new storefront window display was unveiled for the struggling Spoiled Brats restaurant, located on Smithson Place, in the Courthouse District. The animatronic diorama depicts a crying bratwurst dressed in overalls and holding a lollipop while being offered an array of toppings and dipping sauces. Owner Reggie Von Leold recently admitted, “I’m not sure that this was the best name to pick for a restaurant and figured it could use some further clarification.”
:: City Parks and Recreations Services announced yesterday that they expect to have repairs to the 1:6 scale model of the Cutty Sark in Mabel Tripp Gardens completed by next Friday. The cherrywood replica vessel has been undergoing renovation and repair over the last four years, to remove more than 1,200 profanities carved into its hull by vandals. The endeavor employed a remarkable 920 pounds of wood putty.
– David Andrews, Benjamin Birdie, Craig Gaines, Jon Morris