This week marks the 30th anniversary of the death of the King of Rock-and-Roll. To put the enduring fame of Elvis Presley in perspective, consider this: How many years has it been since the deaths of Frank Sinatra, or Bing Crosby, or Patsy Cline, or Buddy Holly, or Jerry Garcia, or Jimi Hendrix, or even John Lennon? Don’t know? We didn’t think so.
Greg Cravens
How hot is it? So hot that a Mississippi judge actually decided it was against the law for students to play outdoors when the temperatures soared. We think he got a bit hot under the collar, and in fact the state Supreme Court later overturned his ban. What if you want to splash in the pool or play in the sprinkler?
State bridge inspectors say the Thomas Street Bridge over the Wolf River is in “poor” condition and the bridge surface is in “critical” condition. Meanwhile, the city’s chief engineer tells reporters the bridge is actually quite safe: “If it wasn’t safe, it wouldn’t be open.” You can’t argue with logic like that, although it reminds us of days back in school, when we tried to convince our parents that a “C” on our report cards — meaning “average” — was perfectly fine.
Former East High School football coach Wayne Randall sues the school, claiming he was fired for racial discrimination. Randall is white, and the new principal of the school, Fred Curry, is black. In recent years, Randall took the East Mustangs to the state championship, nine straight playoffs, and averaged 10 wins a season in his last eight years. Curry explained that he dismissed Randall because he wanted to take the school “in a new direction.” Yes, all those victories do get rather tiresome.
