If what appears to be a steadily rising tide of grumbling is any indication, the upcoming TSPLOST referendum in July seems destined to go down in flames.

I’ve been somewhat on the fence about the regional Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, largely because there hasn’t yet been a reason to make a personal decision. It doesn’t come up for a vote until July 31, after all.

Unless you’re one of those folks who are so cynical that the hardness of your heart can be measured only on the Rockwell scale, you must see the Aaron Schmidt murder conviction last week as unspeakably sad.

I just can’t fathom how tough it would be for one family to lose a 14-year-old daughter, and for another to lose a 15-year-old son.

Schmidt’s murder conviction means, for all practical purposes, his life is as over as that of his victim, Alana Calahan. He’ll likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

My brethren downtown might feel that the wheels of justice have turned appropriately in the investigation of a bunch of Hancock County football players beating a Warren County football coach into surgery, but I’m not buying it.

When the Hancock County sheriff talks to the media to defend his county’s players, and then you find that the forewoman of the grand jury is an employee of the school system, something smells an awful lot like home cooking.

ADDENDUM: We've now learned that under the new districts drawn for Columbia County Commission and School Board, Damon Cline's residence is in District 1 - not District 2. See the linked story for details.

Theoretically, we could say the first drop of the other shoe for opposition to Magnolia Trace came this weekend when Damon Cline, who works at Georgia Health Sciences University, tossed his hat in the ring for the Columbia County Commission District 2 seat.

He’s also a former newspaper colleague. It’s a small world.