:: Number of fire department/EMT calls due to fireworks ‘incidents’ on New Year’s Eve: 211
:: Number of fire department/EMT calls due to fireworks ‘incidents’ last July 4th: 213
:: The first baby of 2008 was born in Nilsson-Presbyterian South Hospital at 12:49am on Jan. 1. He’s Jeffrey Louis Hippert, 9 lbs., 4 oz., born to parents Adima and Louis Hippert, of Edwin Falls.
:: Among the items in the gift pack traditionally awarded to the first baby of the new year from local merchants: iPod Nano, dry cleaning for a year, $25 US savings bond, passes to Daisyland Amusement Park, a gallon of paint primer, 6-month subscription to The Evening Press, keys copied free for a year, a coupon for ham.
:: Items in the gift pack which would actually be useful in the first year or so of caring for an infant: None.
:: Urgent memo from City Hall: “Please be advised that the City Slogan Contest is now over. Do not fax additional entries; they will be neither accepted nor received, as our expected shipment of toner was not delivered last week due to inclement weather and clerical oversight.â€
:: Official number of entries in the City Slogan Contest: 171
:: Number of prank entries (via fax) in the City Slogan Contest: 98
:: Number of prank entries containing the word ‘suck’ or ‘sucks’: 84
:: The Department of Cultural Affairs and the Valley Regional Tourism Association’s Subcommittee on Public Art have announced that famed Swiss artist Pascal Knapp will create a series of sculptures to be placed around the city beginning in June of this year. The animal to be showcased in our city’s exhibition will be announced at a press event on Monday, January 14 at Old City Hall.
:: Municipally maintained public sculptures featuring animals: 29 (not including the subtle ‘fish pattern’ in the base of the statue of Cornelius Keets at Keets Harbor, or the pigeon’s nest that has become a permanent feature atop the World War I Memorial in Baxter Park).
– David Andrews, RJ White