Burton Bits:

Helen R.I.P.:   Two nights ago our great friend, Helen Davison died. She was 89. When she lived in the top of the 1860 Burton High School near the Firehouse, she often came along the Main Street and stopped in to see us. She would pull the door open gently, plop onto the couch up front, give me the "high sign" of "I'm here!" and then patiently wait until I finished up business and then sat and talked with her. When I found out she was a World War II veteran, I often asked her about her military experience. She was very tough and endured several falls on those high winding stairs up to the top floor of the old school building, but sadly a fall several days at the Middlefield nursing home proved to be her demise... She fell and broke her ankle and a blood clot formed and over took her... We shall miss Helen - she was a Burton icon! Her memorial service is tomorrow night at Burr Funeral home from 5-7 pm. I'm planning on attending to honor her. Her son and his wife were in the store today and we spent time honoring her memory and recalling some of her antics. Great lady!

Burton Serial Killer:   I was soooo relieved to not only see this monster be convicted of killing those teenagers several decades ago in Wisconsin, but own up to the Akron teenage couple killing in the 1980's and Danny Boy Edwards in 1996 here in Burton. I have been in contact with Danny Boy Edwards' foster mother and her daughter - both said they were hard pressing the Geauga County Sheriff's Office to charge Edwards with the killing in 1997 (when the body was discovered), but they kept concentrating on Danny Boy's foster brother. HOW COULD THEY? The motive was CLEARLY money - the life insurance policy of Danny Boy that Edwards took out on him, cashed and THEN MOVED OUT OF TOWN WHEN THE GCSO STARTED QUESTIONING HIM! No pursuit? And not one law official putting "two and two" together (literally!) that Edwards was in the vicinity of two double murders and then suddenly moved away when questioned? Hmmm.... Same MO on the killings: All were done in remote wooded areas, all were places near where Edwards worked/lived! This tells me that Edwards wasn't investigated in the least... At least one "detective" was recorded as saying, "He's a strange old guy, but he wouldn't hurt anyone." And then they concentrated ON THE FOSTER BROTHER - they hounded him nearly to death... Oh boy... Just one problem with Ed Edwards' confession about having killed Danny Boy: He said he shotgunned Danny Boy twice through the chest, but the Geauga County coroner at the time told Danny Boy's foster family that DANNY BOY WAS SHOT IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD! So that's strange... More later on this...

 "Obama Sign" on Rt. 700:   Nothing gripes me more than this inexperienced and superficial idiot in the White House trying to fool the sheep that his BILLIONS of dollars of phony "stimulus" money is somehow helping the 10% unemployed people in this country get working again! Liar. Damn liar. The entire country is plastered with these goddamn "American Recovery" signs whenever any country road or municipality gets its annual repaving! How absurd... This monkey in the White House is NOT creating more jobs with the Chinese money. No way, no how. First there was a goofy sign near the Fairgrounds as you came into town that "stimulus" money was being used to revitalize the pavement and curbs around the Fairground. It was going to be done anyway with state or local money! Our great Ohio senator - Tim Grendell - has introduced legislation to have these goofy-ass signs taken down because they are a LIE. Good for him! I think a chain around the posts attached to a stout pick-up truck should do it! That will make a statement to the monkey!

"A Little Off The Top, Please":   Well, as we reported last week, the Burton "arborist" directed a local tree company to "trim" the locust trees on Main Street. Nice try, but hardly a difference... In fact some of the branches are still touching the power lines, so they didn't go nearly far enough. This Mayor Tom Blair is BIG on my shit-list, let me tell ya... At our "meeting" he said that he'd talked to the Main Street merchants on the east side of the street and they were "OK" with the trees as they were before the trimming! ABSOUTELY FALSE. I talked with Dave of Hill Hardware AND HE HAS NEVER BEEN APPROACHED BY THE MAYOR ABOUT THIS ISSUE! Further, the Mayor said in the meeting that the trees would be cut up eight fee from the bottom - there are still several branches under that height - my trees included. So got hosed by village hall and the Mayor again... I just don't trust the guy. Not at all.

"No Gun" Signs Around Burton:   While on the subject of Burton Mayor Tom Blair, I must note that he was a "NO-GUN" sign in his Geauga Door business... That sign cost him $3500 from me alone when I used his garage door competitor! And I need more work done, so I'll be calling the competitor AGAIN. Hmmm... OK, look at it this way: Here's an ELECTED official - a mayor of a town - a man SWORN to uphold the Constitution and in fact starts EVERY VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING with the Pledge of Allegiance, but DOES NOT BELIEVE IN THE SECOND AMENDMENT which states "...the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed upon..." BEAR means to carry arms on one's person! Go figure... Now you know why these Tea Parties are examining these lower public officials and ousting them because they are NOT following the Constitution and/or spending money like a monkey! I don't get it. I really don't.

Reasonable Flower Watering:   The Burton Village Council must read this blog because now instead of three college kids listening to music in an idling one-ton truck for three hours while one watered the potted plants (go figure now why the budget is not good... Oh my...), they are using a demoted village worker armed with a garden tractor and a small wagon with a water tank. Now that's more like it! Gee, looks like some sense is being shown. NOW IF THEY WOULD JUST FINISH TRIMMING THE GODDAMN TREES.

Car Show R.I.P.:   The Wednesday night Burton Car Show is nearly dead I am sad to report... Ever since Jerry Wayman of Tom & Jerry's fame left for Hocking Hills, the once popular car show has been a shadow of itself... Only once this year has "Dave the DJ" been hired.  Last week a young man sang and did quite well I thought (he really worked hard and sang until he was hoarse), but the car show cats were less than impressed and complained long and bitterly and said if he was hired back THEY WERE GONE... Oh my...  Food sales are off.  Numbers of cars attending is WAY OFF.  Lots of grumbling...  One prediction of a drop of rain and they all stay home...  I have suggested that perhaps the street be blocked off for a couple of hours and rib/chicken barbecue pits be placed on the street with beverages, but that plan has not taken off...  Such a shame...  Wednesday used to be THE PLACE to meet if you had an antique or muscle car...  It was fun while it lasted...  Again:  No one should do the same thing over and over again and expect the same results.  That's the definition of insanity...