Observations...

Thursday night's Grove Ridgerunners playoff game will be available locally on TV via SuddenLink Cable system on channel 13, and also on Channel 44 or 44.1 digital, from Tulsa via rooftop antenna, if you can get it. We get snow on Channel 44 but a really clear picture on 44.1. You need a digital tuner to receive 44.1. Contrary to published reports, channel 52 is not available in this area…If there were a contest for exterior Christmas lighting efforts, the home of City Clerk Bonnie Buzzard would certainly qualify as a winner. Be sure to drive by the home on Baycrest and take a look. She says her husband did it all…Your Editor certainly appreciates the get well cards and many emails during our recent neck surgery and our recovery continues until the next big event Dec. 27 at the House of Pain in Joplin. Now we know how a chicken feels when its neck is about to be separated from the head. .. Former Councilman David Adzigian is still recovering at home from hip replacement surgery Nov. 16, making steady progress. Adzigian is a member of the GIDA and Airport Trust authorities…While we were out of service, former city councilman Charles Rowe passed away and we nearly missed the announcement in the newspaper, buried back in the Obituaries section on page 7. Now we don't care if you agreed with Mr. Rowe or not in his decisions, but his 16 years on the city council and longtime service on a number of trust authority boards certainly qualified him for a front page death notice. There is a time and a place for people to come together…Installation of fire hydrants has been completed at Patricia Island and Lighthouse Cove, thanks to a joint project from GMSA, the City of Grove, Rural Water District #9, homeowners, and developers. The area is now up to fire codes…Notably absent from the contribution list was the largest homebuilder in the area...We give Merchant of the Year award to Bill Fernandez of Grove Home Center for going above the call of duty in loaning us a refrigerator for one month, while ours waited on a new compressor. A fridge in the kitchen sure beats a little box in the garage…We hear that former Grove Police Chief Mark Wall, now working for the Delaware County District Attorney's office, is filing a lawsuit against the city for his firing last summer. Details not available at press time…Overheard at this week's Rotary meeting: "Maybe we could get Earl Barnes to negotiate with the trash company."…Progress on the Highway 59 utility relocation project is moving on schedule, with access to businesses being kept open, good cleanup, and no complaints so far from affected businesses, says City Manager Bill Galletly...Earl Shero, who lost his lawsuit against the City in November, has filed an appeal...We'll see you on the other side of 2006 and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! The Editor.