Local News

WHOOPS:

There was a fairly serious car accident at our corner of 38th and Baltimore this AM. I did not see it but heard it. An apparently east bound, possibly turning left on to Baltimore, Nissan hit an Isuzu SUV which turned over on its side. It was a bad day for Japanese autos. It appeared that the Nissan was from Minnesota. He may have wished he had stayed home. No one appeared to be very injured.

First on the scene were two tow trucks, followed by a 3rd from another tow company. A fourth showed up later. Next arrived the huge KCFD ladder truck in case one of the cars was on fire up in a tree. A smaller truck came in from the east but turned around and went back. An ambulance showed up a few minutes later. Finally, about 10 minutes after the accident, a single police car came by. Obviously Lamar's Donuts had closed for the morning or this cop had lost a bet. Finally work could continue on clearing the street, and all was quiet by 9AM.

This being the second such accident in 3 months on a not really busy intersection, I wonder if the city would even consider looking at putting up a 4 way stop? Nah...

RIP:

IGOR THE BAT:

A rather sadder tale involved the reappearance of Igor the Bat to Apt 2S. ("Batty" May 22)This time Lois phoned to inform me that Igor had passed away in the same spot we last found him, in the sink under the dish strainer. How he got back there is a mystery. I had thought he may have found his way up the drain, but since the drain on both sides had stoppers on them, he would have had to remove the stopper and replace it; quite an accomplishment for a Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Funeral arrangements are Fri AM with Deffenbaugh Disposal, curbside.

BROOKSIDE DIME STORE:

It was reported today that one of the last independent, wood floored, “if we don't have it you don't need it” Dime Stores has closed, possibly for good. Rumor had been that the landlord wanted the space occupied by the appropriately named Brookside Dime Store for more "upscale" retail and people began to complain that they could get things cheaper at Wal-Mart, even though the closest one was 2 states, 4 cities and 3 counties away. The store's original owner died in 2002 and the store was on thin ice since then. But people came for miles around to marvel at the collection of everything. Enough ribbon to circle the earth, best selection of greeting cards in the city (any of you who have received cards from me likely had received a Brookside Dime Store card, and enough cheap plastic toys to delight any youngster. Those nostalgic for the days of Woolworth’s, SS Kresge or WT Grant could find solace in the Dime Store.

The sign says "temporarily closed", but no one believes that the venerable store will reopen.