In 1980 the only remaining state correctional facility within the city limits – Amandour Prison – closed its heavy iron door for last time. The order to shut down the facility, once home to as many as 494 inmates, actually…
Tag: David Andrews
Rare City Documents Burned
Fire Commissioner Gordon ‘Chick’ Hall reports that an electrical fire in the 4th Floor Records Room at Old City Hall early Saturday morning destroyed some of the city’s most irreplaceable historical treasures. The blaze was discovered by third-shift security guard…
Friday Facts: “Shall our city be given over to the terorists? [sic]”
:: Number of “informational” flyers distributed this week on windshields and utility poles in the Parklawn section, insinuating that mayoral hopeful and City Councilman Terence Williams was once married to someone who may or may not have had relatives who…
Friday Facts: Apparently Babies Need Keys and Ham
:: 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…
Friday Facts: End of Year Closeout Special
:: With Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both falling on a Tuesday this season, please note that all city services will be open and functioning on Monday, Dec.24 and Monday, Dec. 31, with the exception of the Mayor’s Office,…
Friday Facts: Light the Tree, Sell the Books
:: Number of variations on “LED” used by various speakers during Thursday’s municipal Holiday Fest tree-lighting ceremony at Old City Hall: 7 (“LDE,” “LDD,” “LLD,” “Lead,” “DL,” “Leed,” and “Magic bulbs.”) :: Number of killowatt hours saved by the widely-touted…
Wanted: New City Slogan
Mayor Wilders will announce at a press conference today a competition to create a new “city slogan,” sponsored jointly by the Valley Regional Tourism Commission (VRTC) and the Chamber of Commerce. The competition is part of the VRTC’s promotional “Silent…
Friday Facts: Thanksgiving Parade, Freon, Events
:: Number of states represented by marching bands in this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: 5 :: Number of people saved by this year’s parade Grand Marshal, Janelle Welks, when that van went off of Pier 8 in June: 7 ::…
Friday Facts: 311 is Not a Joke
:: Today, at 5pm, the city’s Office for Information and Complaints hotline will shut down after 33 years of service. It will be subsumed into the city’s new 311 information service. :: Number of staffers for the hotline in 1974:…
The Lost Windfall of the Colpo di Fortuna Due
The last will and testament of world-renowned sculptor Oliver Henry Munro (1913 – 2007), whose 1940 masterwork Colpo di Fortuna was credited with inspiring insurgents who liberated Ethiopia from Italian fascists, awarded his follow-up piece, Colpo di Fortuna Due, to…