Plenty (and too much) Christmas cheer

The air finally has turned seasonably cool, we've gotten a little rain, and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

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And because Christmas is supposed to be a time for cheer, here are some things in Columbia County to be especially cheerful about:

* Did you notice education writer Betsy Gilliland's story the other day about the construction classes at Evans High School?

As instructor Jason Stewart put it, "It's not just building birdhouses and gun racks anymore." Shop classes, long derided as the last refuge of the academically inept, are more than ever a path to solid careers.

Students at Evans, specifically, are learning how to build much bigger things - a baseball backstop, for example, or portable storage buildings. Those skills are perfect for meeting our area's heavy demand for skilled workers, who can earn a comfortable living with brawn and brains.

* It's also heartening to see schools coming together to help students in time of need. Just a couple of examples: "miracle child" CJ Dube's teachers and fellow pupils at Riverside Elementary helped donate loads of money and toys in his name to the MCG Children's Medical Center, while the Bel Air Elementary family has been a godsend in supporting second-grader Bryce Canfield - even though his chemotherapy treatments keep him out of school.

* And because adults often make the wrong call, it's good to see a local organization giving them a phone number to help them make the right call. The CSRA Towing Alliance, starting today, is operating the "Tipsy Tow" program to get drivers, and their cars, home safely if they've had a little too much holiday cheer.

The participating towing services will provide free towing and transportation, within 10 miles, to drivers who call (706) 855-2336.